THE  LAND  OF  THE  QUETZAL 


WILLIAM  T.BR1GHA1V 


property   or 

OSCAR  W.  HOOP 

U.  S.  Army 


GUATEMALA 

THE    LAND     OF    THE     QUETZAL 


MONOLITH    (A)    AT    QI7IKIGUA. 


Copyright,  1SS7, 
By  William  T.  Brigham. 


SHntoersttg  Press: 
John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


THE  GETTY  CC^TE* 

iJBRARY 


PREFACE. 


A  BELIEF  in  the  increasing  importance  of  Central 
America,  both  geographically  and  politically,  has 
led  the  writer  of  the  following  pages  to  collect  for  his 
own  use  and  print  for  the  use  of  others,  notes  made 
during  three  journeys  in  Guatemala  and  Honduras.  He 
does  not  pretend  to  offer  a  monograph  on  Guatemala,  nor 
to  add  to  the  general  knowledge  of  Central  America ;  but 
remembering  the  lack  of  guidance  from  which  he  suffered 
in  travelling  through  the  country,  would  in  some  measure 
save  others  from  the  same  inconvenience.  He  seeks  also, 
with  perhaps  more  ambition,  to  awaken  among  Americans 
greater  interest  in  the  much-neglected  regions  between 
the  Republic  of  Mexico  and  the  Isthmus  of  Darien. 

A  land  which  was  the  cradle  of  civilization  on  this 
continent,  and  whose  recently  explored  monuments  are 
most  justly  claiming  the  study  and  admiration  of  arch- 
aeologists in  Europe  as  well  as  in  America,  has  been 
strangely  neglected  by  the  American  traveller  as  well  as 
by  the  American  merchant.  Since  the  Travels  of  Stephens 
fascinated  the  public  nearly  half  a  century  ago,  the  people 
of  the  United  States  have  paid  very  little  attention  to 
Guatemala  or  its  commerce.  Even  now  there  are  thou- 
sands of  square  miles  of  wholly  unexplored  territory 
between  the  low  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  and  the  Lake  of 
Nicaragua. 


vi  PREFACE. 

No  country  on  the  northern  half  of  the  American 
continent  has  a  finer  climate  or  more  beautiful  and  varied 
scenery,  or  is  a  more  attractive  field  for  the  genuine 
traveller.  Valleys  rivalling  the  paradises  of  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific ;  uplands  not  unlike  the  plateau  of  the 
Indian  Neilgherries ;  forests  as  dense  and  luxuriant  as 
those  of  Brazil ;  lakes  as  picturesque  as  those  of  Switzer- 
land ;  green  slojDes  that  might  have  been  taken  from  the 
Emerald  Isle ;  glens  like  the  Trossachs ;  desert  wastes 
that  recall  the  Sahara ;  volcanoes  like  JEtna ;  and  a 
population  as  various  as  in  that  land  whence  comes  the 
Indian  name,  —  all  these  features  make  but  the  incom- 
plete outline  of  the  Guatemaltecan  picture.  Then  there 
is  that  charming  freedom  from  conventionality  which 
permits  a  costume  for  comfort  rather  than  for  fashion, 
accoutrements  for  convenience  rather  than  for  show.  No 
dangerous  beast  or  savage  man  attempts  the  traveller's 
life,  no  lurking  danger  or  insidious  pestilence  is  in  his 
path.  The  hair-breadth  escapes,  more  interesting  to  the 
reader  than  pleasant  to  the  explorer,  are  rare  here,  and 
the  rough  places  and  the  irritations  from  which  no  land 
on  earth  is  wholly  free,  seem  softened  and  vanishing  to 
the  retrospective   eye. 

Old  travellers  know  how  soon  the  individuality  of  a 
country  is  lost  when  once  the  tide  of  foreign  travel  is 
turned  through  its  towns  or  its  by-ways ;  and  when  the 
ship-railway  of  Eads  crosses  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec, 
when  the  Northern  Railroad  extends  through  Guatemala, 
when  the  Transcontinental  Railway  traverses  the  plains 
of  Honduras,  and  the  Nicaraguan  Canal  unites  the  At- 
lantic and  the  Pacific,  the  charm  will  be  broken,  the  mule- 
path  and  the  mozo  de  cargo  will  be  supplanted,  and  a 
journey  across  Central  America  become  almost  as  dull  as 
a  journey  from  Chicago  to  Cheyenne. 


PREFACE. 


Vll 


In  the  sober  work  to  which  this  Preface  introduces  the 
reader,  first  impressions  have  been  confirmed  or  corrected 
by  subsequent  experience,  and  flights  of  the  imagination 
curbed  by  the  truth-telling  camera  ;  from  the  published 
maps  the  most  correct  portion  has  been  selected,  and  the 
statistics  are  from  the  Government  reports.  Many  hun- 
dred photographic  plates  made  by  the  writer  during  a 
period  of  three  years  have  contributed  to  the  illustrations 
of  this  book,  so  that  accuracy  has  been  secured.  Where 
the  plates  are  not  direct  reproductions  from  the  negatives, 
the  ink  drawings  have  been  made  from  photographic 
prints  with   care.     There  are   no  fancy  sketches. 


W.  T.  B. 


Boston,  June  16,  1887. 


From    an    Ancient    Manuscript. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

I .    The  Kingdom  of  Guatemala    .             1 

II.    The  Atlantic  Coast  and  its  Connections       ...  25 

III.    Across  the  Continent  AY'estward  to  Coban  .       .       .  66 

IT.    From  Coban  to  Quezaltenango 103 

V.    From  Quezaltenango  to  the  Pacific 148 

VI.    Guatemala  City 171 

VII.    Guatemala  to  Esquipulas 190 

VIII.    Esquipulas  and  Quirigua 201 

IX.    In  the  Olden  Time 228 

X.    The  Republic  of  Guatemala 281 

XI.    Vegetable  and  Animal  Productions 323 

XII.    Earthquakes  and  Volcanoes 377 

APPENDIX 411 

INDEX   .       .                                                       445 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FULL-PAGE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 
Monolith  at  Quirigua  (A) Frontispiece 

TO   FACE    PAGE 

A  Street  in  Livingston 28 

Interior  of  a  Carib  House 30 

Grating  Cassava 32 

Weaving  a  Serpiente 36 

El  Rio  Chocon 44 

Coban  Church  and  Plaza  (from  the  tower  of  the  Cabildo)      ....  94 

Frank  and  his  Mare  Mabel 106 

Chicaman  (two  views  taken  from  the  same  place  before  sunrise)  ....  109 

Valley  of  the  Chixoy 114 

Plaza  of  Sacafulas 118 

Totonicapan  Valley 138 

Lago  de  Atitlan  (from  the  road  above  Paiiajachel) 156 

A  Street  in  Guatemala  City 177 

Guatemala  City  (from  the  Church  of  the  Carmen) 178 

Santuario  at  Esquipulas 202 

Monolith  at  Quirigua  (E) 218 


xii  ILLUSTRATIOXS. 

TO   FACE    PAGE 

Altar-Stones  at  Quikigua 222 

Ethnographic  Chart  (after  Dr.  Stoll) 271 

A  Group  of  Carib  Children 272 

Two  Carib  Boys 274 

A  Carib  plaiting  a  Petaca 270 

A  Court  Scene  in  Livingston 318 

In  the  Forest 32-1 

Cohune  Palms  (Attalea  cohitne,  Mart.) 330 

Volcan  de  Fuego  (from  the  Cabildo,  Antigua) 392 


TEXT    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 


Pigures  (from  an  ancient  Manuscript) vii 

Luciano  Calletano  (captain  at  Cliocon) 21 

Barrack  Point,  Livingston 27 

Entrance  to  the  Rio  Dulce 41 

Female  Iguanas    47 

Barbecue  at  Benito 50 

Section  of  Vejuco  de  Agua 51 

Dragon  Bock,  Cuocon 55 

San  Gil  (from  the  author's  house  at  Livingston) 59 

Puerto  Barrios 61 

Sulphur  Spring 63 

Paddle  and  Machete 65 

Castillo  de  San  Felipe  (plan  drawn  by  F.  E.  Blaisdell) 69 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  xiii 

PAGE 

Making  Tortillas 71 

Roof-tile  (from  a  sketch  by  E.  E.  Blaisdell) 89 

In  Hotel  Aleman 91 

Plan  of  Hotel  Aleman  (by  E.  E.  Blaisdell) 92 

The  Cabildo  of  Coban 93 

Interior  of  the  Church  at  Coban 94 

Pattern  of  Cloth ,    .  95 

Quetzal  (Macrop/iarus  mocino) 97 

Indio  of  Coban 99 

Cuartillo  of  Guatemala 102 

Rope  Bridge  over  the  Chixoy 107 

Quiche  Altar  of  Tohil  (Sacrificatorio) 122 

Marimba 123 

Jicara 124 

solola  and  volcan  de  atitlan 132 

Church  at  Quezaltenango 143 

Manuel  Lisandro  Barillas  (President  of  Guatemala)      ........  145 

Alcaldes  of  Quezaltenango 146 

Cuatro-Beales  of  Honduras 147 

J.  Bufino  Barrios  (photograph  taken  in  1883) 149 

Boat  on  the  Lago  de  Atitlan 153 

Washout  in  the  Boad 157 

Antigua  and  the  Volcan  de  Agua 159 

Buined  Church  in  Antigua  Guatemala 161 

Bailroads  for  Guatemala 168 

Bread-fruit  (Artocarpus  incises) 170 

Section  of  Boat  at  Amatitlan 174 


XIV  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Church  of  the  Carmen 179 

Spanish  Stirrup  (of  the  time  of  Cortez) 184 

Terra-cotta  Figurines 184 

Indian  Pottery 189 

Pacaya,  Puego,  Agua 190 

hunapu  from  the  eastward 191 

Mozo  on  the  Road 198 

Lava  Mask  in  the  Museo  Nacional 200 

Incense-Burner  (about  half  the  size  of  the  original) 207 

Remains  at  Quirigua  (from  Mr.  Maudslay's  plan) 217 

Monolith  at  Quirigua  (P) 219 

Monolith  E  (portion  of  back) 221 

Izabal  (from  the  end  of  the  wharf) 225 

Whistle  from  Las  Quebradas 227 

Ancient  Temple  (from  an  old  Manuscript) 245 

Indio  sacrificing  Blood  from  his  Tongue  (Kingsborough)    ....  246 

Ideographs 251 

Ancient  Incense-burner 251 

Stone  Ring  for  Ball  Game  (at  Chichen  Itza) 257 

A  Carib  Woman 272 

Indian  Women,  Pocomam  Tribe 275 

Mozos  de  Cargo,  Quiche 279 

Carved  Stone  Seat  (Museo  Nacional) 2S0 

Arms  of  Guatemala 281 

Rafael  Carrera  (from  a  silver  dollar) 2S8 

Matapalo-Tree 326 

Attalea  cohune  (flowers  and  fruit) 330 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  XV 


PAGE 


Leaf  Tip  of  Climbing  Palm  {Desmoncus) 332 

Indian  Plough;  a  Type  of  Guatemaltecan  Agriculture    ....  340 

A  Primitive  Sugar-mill  (common  at  Livingston) 341 

Theobroma  cacao  (chocolate  tree) 346 

Castilloa  elastica  (India-rubber  tree) 347 

A  Bunch  of  Plantains  (young) 352 

Pounding  Pice 356 

Growth  of  a  Young  Coconut 360 

Passiflora  Brighami 376 

congrehoy  peak 384 

Coseguina  (from  the  sea) 399 

Group  (from  an  ancient  Manuscript) 442 

♦ 

MAPS. 

Central  America 6 

Lago  de  Atitlan 154 

Central  American  Volcanoes 377 

Lago  de  Ilopango 403 

Guatemala End  of  Booh 


GUATEMALA: 
THE    LAND    OF    THE    QUETZAL. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE    KINGDOM    OF    GUATEMALA. 

THAT  part  of  the  North  American  continent  usually 
known  as  Central  America  was  included  by  the 
Spanish  conquerors  in  the  kingdom  of  Guatemala ;  and 
while  my  purpose  is  to  describe  the  republic  of  Guate- 
mala, —  a  portion  only  of  the  ancient  kingdom,  —  I  may 
be  pardoned  if  I  call  the  attention  of  my  readers  briefly 
to  the  geography  and  history  of  all  that  country  which 
once  bore  the  name  and  is  still  closely  allied  with  the 
interests  of  Guatemala. 

Central  America  should  extend  from  the  Isthmus  of 
Tehuantepec  to  that  of  Darien  ;  from  the  Caribbean  Sea 
on  the  northeast,  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  on  the  southwest. 
Mexico,  however,  has  taken  Chiapas  and  Yucatan,  on 
the  west  and  north,  Great  Britain  has  seized  the  east 
coast  of  Guatemala  (British  Honduras),  and  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  is  included  in  the  territory  of  South  America. 
The  present  independent  republics  of  Guatemala,  San 
Salvador,  Honduras,  Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica,  con- 
stitute what  is  known  as  Central  America,  —  a  territory 

1 


2  GUATEMALA. 

extending  between  8°  10'  and  19°  20'  north  latitude,  and 
between  82°  25'  and  92°  30'  west  longitude.  In  length 
it  measures  between  eight  and  nine  hundred  miles,  while 
its  breadth  varies  from  thirty  to  three  hundred  miles. 
No  competent  survey  has  ever  been  made  of  this  coun- 
try, and  even  the  coast-line  is  not  always  correctly 
laid  down  on  the  best  charts.  Maps  have  been  made 
at  haphazard  in  most  cases,  and  very  few  positions 
have  been  scientifically  determined.  Government  sur- 
xeys  along  the  lines  of  proposed  canals  or  railways 
have  not  extended  beyond  a  narrow  line,  usually  in 
low  regions  remote  from  important  centres.  Dr.  Frant- 
zius 1  has  published  a  very  excellent  map  of  Costa  Rica  ; 
but  most  of  the  so-called  maps  published  by  or  under 
the  authority  of  individual  republics  are  of  no  scien- 
tific value,  -the  course  of  the  principal  rivers  and  the 
direction  of  the  main  mountain -chains  being  unknown. 
To  illustrate  the  uncertain  geography  of  Central  Amer- 
ica, let  me  give  the  extent  and  population  us  pub- 
lished by  three  authorities,  —  (I.)  Lippincott's  Gazetteer, 
(II.)  Whittaker's  Almanac,  and  (III.)  the  "  Geografia 
de  Centro- America  "  of  Dr.  Gonzalez. 

I. 

Square  Miles.  Population. 

Guatemala 40,777  1,190,754 

Salvador 7.335  434,520 

Honduras 47,090  351,700 

Nicaragua 58,000  236,000 

Costa  Rica 21,495  180,000 

174,697  2,392,974 

1  Peterniann's  Mittheilungen,  1869. 


THE  KINGDOM  OF   GUATEMALA. 

II. 

Square  Miles  Population. 

Guatemala 40,776  1,500,000 

Salvador      ......         7,335  554,000 

Honduras 3D, 600  300,000 

Nicaragua 58,170  300,000 

Costa  Rica 26,040  200,000 

171,921  2,854,000 


III. 


Guatemala  . 

.       .       .       50,600 

1,200,000 

Salvador 

.       .       .         9,600 

600,000 

Honduras    . 

.       .       .       40,000 

400,000 

Nicaragua  . 

.       .       .      40,000 

(1882)     275,816 

Costa  Rica 

.       .       .       21,000 

200,000 

161,200 


2,675,816 


Without  surveys  and  without  a  proper  census  of  the 
Indian  tribes  no  scientific  description  of  the  country  can 
be  given.  Humboldt's  theory  of  an  Andean  cordillera 
has  been  disputed,  and  his  mountain-chain  has  proved 
to  be  a  confusing  (but  not  confused)  series  of  mountain- 
ridges.  Yet  it  well  may  prove  that  the  great  naturalist 
was  right ;  and  so  far  as  we  now  know  from  maps  and 
personal  observation,  the  vast  earth-wrinkle  which  ex- 
tends along  the  western  border  of  our  continent  is  a 
mountain-range  of  definite  direction  (about  E.  20°  S.  to 
W.  20°  N.)  in  Central  America,  and  there  occupying 
nearly  the  whole  width  of  the  continent.  If  we  can 
picture  to  ourselves  the  formation  in  those  remote  ages, 
that  it  is  the  geologist's  task  to  rehabilitate  in  thought, 
of  a  vast  ridge,  not  sharp  like  the  typical  mountain 
range,  but  of  broad  dimensions  like  the  swell  of  some 
vast   ocean,   we   shall   have    the    material    then   forming 


4  GUATEMALA. 

the  earth's  crust  bent  upwards,  and  in  unelastic  places 
broken,  and  this  partly  or  entirely  beneath  the  ocean. 
The  rising  land  as  the  ages  passed  would  be  acted  upon 
not  only  by  the  ocean  waves  and  currents,  but  by  the 
torrential  rains,  which  were  of  a  force  and  frequency 
that  even  our  water-spouts  of  the  present  age  cannot 
equal.  Cracks  were  widened,  gorges  were  formed ;  and 
as  the  earth  approached  the  present  geological  age,  the 
gentler  rains  only  supplied  the  rivers  and  lakes  which 
now  occupied  the  furrows  ploughed  deeply  by  primeval 
torrents.  The  rough  work  was  done,  the  statue  blocked 
out  ;  and  henceforth  meteoric  influences  were  merely  to 
finish,  add  expression  and  polish  to  the  work. 

A  traveller  crossing  this  territory  from  ocean  to  ocean 
would  sometimes  follow  the  river  valleys,  then  climb 
ridges,  again  traverse  a  plain,  cross  a  valley,  ride  along 
another  mountain-ridge,  compassing  a  volcano,  and  finally 
descend  abruptly  to  the  Pacific.  His  direction  had  not 
changed,  but  the  nature  of  his  path  had  been  wonder- 
fully transformed. 

Geologists  know  well  that  on  one  of  these  lines  of 
disturbance,  such  as  has  been  described,  molten  and  dis- 
integrated material  is  apt  to  come  to  the  surface  as  lava 
and  ashes ;  they  expect  also  to  find  metallic  veins,  espe- 
cially of  the  precious  metals,  and  hot  springs  with  vari- 
ous minerals  in  solution,  and  they  infer  earthquakes. 
All  these  phenomena  are  present  in  Central  America  in 
full  force.  Immense  cones  have  arisen  along  the  Pacific 
slope  since  the  general  features  of  the  land  were  made, 
and  not  only  have  spread  vast  deposits  around  their 
base,  but  have  blocked  up  valleys,  forming  lakes  as 
Atitlan,    built    promontories    as    Coseguina,    islands    as 


THE   KINGDOM   OF   GUATEMALA.  5 

Ometepec  in  the  Lake  of  Nicaragua,  and  have  turned 
rivers,  changed  prevailing  winds,  and  otherwise  altered 
the  physical  conditions  of  the  country. 

Gold  sands  from  the  disintegrated  veins  sparkle  in 
every  mountain-brook,  and  the  deposits  of  silver  are 
no  doubt  as  rich  as  those  of  Mexico,  Nevada,  and  Potosi. 
Aguas  calientes,  or  hot  springs,  are  found  all  over  the 
country,  and  earthquakes,  often  severe,  are  common  on 
the  Pacific  slopes. 

All  along  the  Atlantic  side  the  rock  material  is  lime- 
stone or  dolomite,  while  as  one  goes  westward  he  meets 
andesyte  and  other  forms  of  trachytic  lava,  such  as 
pumice  and  obsidian.  Even  among  the  limestone  moun- 
tains of  the  northeast  are  occasional  volcanic  deposits, 
exactly  as  might  be  expected  when  so  extensive  an 
upheaval  has  taken  place. 

Whatever  has  been  the  exact  process  by  which  this 
essentially  mountainous  country  has  been  formed,  we 
have  at  present  at  its  northern  boundary  the  high  plain 
of  Anahuac,  extending  from  Mexico  (where  it  is  inter- 
rupted by  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec)  through  Guate- 
mala ;  of  somewhat  lower  level  in  Honduras  and  Sal- 
vador ;  sinking  to  almost  sea-level  in  Nicaragua  (154 
feet) ;  and  rising  again  in  the  Altos  of  Veragua  to  about 
3,250  feet.  This  main  range  has  its  axis  much  nearer 
the  Pacific  shore  and  almost  parallel  to  it,  being  in  San 
Salvador  distant  seventy-five  miles,  and  in  Guatemala 
(Totonicapan)  only  fifty.  Towards  the  Pacific  the  slope 
is  steep,  interrupted  by  many  volcanoes  ;  while  on  the 
Atlantic  side  the  gently  terraced  incline  is  broken  into 
subsidiary  ridges  extending  to  the  very  shores.  In  the 
oceanic   valleys  and  along  the   coast  are  the  only  low- 


6  GUATEMALA. 

lands  of  Central  America ;  and  these  contain  the  wash 
of  volcanoes,  limestone  mountains,  and  ages  of  vegetable 
growth  and  decay,  forming  the  richest  of  soils  for  agri- 
cultural purposes. 

In  Guatemala  the  mean  height  of  the  corclillera  is 
about  seven  thousand,  and  probably  the  mean  height  of 
this  republic  is  not  less  than  five  thousand,  feet.  The 
Sierra  Madre,  or  Cuchumatanes,  in  the  Department  of 
Huehuetenango,  is  the  highest  land  (always  excepting 
the  volcanoes,  which  will  be  described  later)  ;  and  of  the 
less  important  ridges  are  the  Sierra  de  Chama  (of  lime- 
stone, and  full  of  caverns),  which  extends  towards  the 
northeast  and  ends  in  the  Cockscomb  Range  of  British 
Honduras ;  Sierra  de  Santa  Cruz,  also  of  limestone,  ex- 
tends nearly  eastward,  north  of  the  Lago  de  Izabal  and 
the  Rio  Polochic,  and  south  of  the  Rio  Sarstun  ;  Sierra 
de  las  Minas,  nearly  parallel  to  the  last,  and  separating 
the  valley  of  the  Rio  Motagua  from  that  of  the  Polochic. 
Of  this  range  is  the  Montana  del  Mico  and  the  peak  of 
San  Gil,  near  Livingston :  the  material  is  no  longer  lime- 
stone, but  metamorphic  rock,  containing  mines  of  some 
importance.  Last  we  have  the  Sierra  del  Merendon, 
which  forms  the  boundary  between  Guatemala  and  Span- 
ish Honduras ;  and  with  various  names  it  finally  ends  in 
the  Montana  de  Omoa  on  the  coast,  —  an  important  land- 
mark several  thousand  feet  high. 

The  mountains  of  Salvador  are  all  volcanic  and  shore- 
ward of  the  main  chain ;  but  in  Honduras  the  lines  again 
repeat  the  general  arrangement  of  Guatemala,  while  the 
names  are  many,  indicating  a  more  broken  system.  Be- 
tween the  ranges  are  broad  and  fertile  valleys,  the  Llano 
de  Comayagua  being  forty  miles  in  length,  with  a  breadth 


i'UXTKAI,    OIKUIrA 


c 


THE    KINGDOM   OF   GUATEMALA.  7 

of  from  five  to  fifteen  miles.  In  Nicaragua  the  ridges 
slope  towards  the  southwest,  breaking  abruptly  to  the 
Mosquito  coast,  and  an  important  part  of  its  territory  is 
occupied  by  the  lakes  of  Managua  and  Nicaragua.  From 
the  broad  valley  the  land  again  rises  towards  Costa  Rica, 
where  it  attains  the  height  of  forty-three  hundred  feet, 
and,  owing  to  the  narrowness  of  the  continent,  the  lat- 
eral branches  are  insignificant.  From  the  table-land  of 
Veragua  the  cordillera  dwindles  to  the  basaltic  ridge  of 
Panama. 

Rivers  are,  next  to  mountains,  the  most  important 
factors  in  the  physical  aspect  of  the  land ;  and  in 
Central  America  they  are  abundant,  though,  from  the 
broken  nature  of  the  country,  not  of  great  size.  From 
the  position  of  the  backbone  of  the  land,  most  of  the 
watershed  is  towards  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Carib- 
bean Sea ;  even  the  great  lakes  of  Nicaragua,  which  are 
really  on  the  Pacific  side,  empty  through  the  Rio  San 
Juan  into  the  Atlantic,  the  river  taking  advantage  of  a 
break  in  the  cordillera.  The  lower  or  navigable  portion 
of  the  Central  American  rivers  is  the  only  part  known ; 
the  sources  of  even  the  largest  streams  are  still  un- 
explored. So  tortuous  are  the  courses  that  names  are 
multiplied,  and  rivers  that  flow  from  inhabited  valleys 
through  wild  forests  again  appear  in  the  lowlands  as 
unknown  strangers ;  and  the  river  that  one  traveller 
describes  as  important  and  navigable,  because  he  sees 
it  in  the  season  of  rain,  the  next  visitor  may  cross  knee- 
deep,  and  know  only  as  a  brook. 

On  the  Pacific  side  may  be  mentioned  the  Rio  Lempa, 
which  rises  near  Esquipulas,  receives  the  waters  of  the 
considerable  Lago  de  Guija  (on  the  boundary  of  Guate- 


8  GUATEMALA. 

mala  and  Salvador),  and  even  after  the  dry  season  is  of 
large  volume,  thirty  miles  from  its  mouth  attaining  a 
breadth  of  more  than  six  hundred  feet  and  a  depth  of 
ten  feet,  which  is  nearly  twenty-seven  when  the  floods 
of  the  rainy  season  occur.  If  it  were  not  for  the  bar, 
which  has  hardly  a  fathom  of  water,  the  navigation 
would  develop  rich  lands  on  either  bank.  The  Rio  Paz, 
the  Rio  de  los  Esclavos,  and  the  Rio  Michatoya  are  not 
navigable,  although  formerly  the  latter  stream  at  its 
mouth  (Istapa)  was  large  enough  within  the  bar  to  admit 
the  construction  of  vessels  of  moderate  size ;  it  was  here 
that  the  Spaniards  fitted  out  several  fleets. 

Far  different  are  some  of  the  rivers  that  find  their  way 
into  the  Atlantic.  Chief  among  them  all  is  the  noble 
Usumacinta,  which  flows  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  through 
the  Lago  de  Terminos,  and  is  navigable  many  miles 
through  a  singularly  fertile  and  interesting  country,  as 
beautiful  as  fancy  pictures  the  cradle  of  the  human  race, 
—  a  land  seldom  visited  by  white  men,  and  the  home  of 
the  unconquered  and  unbaptized  (La  Candones)  Indios. 
The  swift  Chixoy,  the  Rio  de  la  Pasion,  and  the  almost 
unknown  San  Pedro  unite  to  form  this  "  Child  of  many 
Waters." 

The  Belize  River,  rising  in  the  Montana  de  Dolores  near 
Peten  and  crossing  the  British  colony,  is  the  principal 
highway  for  the  commerce  of  Peten,  the  pitpans  bringing 
down  huge  mahogany  bowls,  paddles,  baskets,  and  other 
Indian  goods.  The  Sarstun  forms  the  southern  boun- 
dary of  the  British  possessions,  and  is  navigable  for 
small  canoes  as  far  as  the  rapids  of  Gracias  a  Dios. 
None  but  timber-cutters  disturb  its  solitudes.  The  Polochic 
is   at  present  the  most   useful    river  of   Guatemala.     It 


THE   KINGDOM  OF   GUATEMALA.  9 

rises  near  Tactic,  and  is  a  foaming  torrent  for  much  of 
its  course  in  Alta  Verapaz.  At  Pansos  the  waters  are 
navigable  for  light-draft  steamers,  except  in  very  dry 
seasons ;  and  not  far  below,  its  volume  is  materially 
increased  by  the  Cahabon.  It  flows  through  the  Lake  of 
Izabal,  and,  as  the  Rio  Dulce,  empties  into  the  Gulf  of 
Amatique  over  a  bar  of  sand.  The  Motagua  is  nearly 
parallel  to  the  Polochic,  and  rises  near  Santa  Cruz  del 
Quiche.  From  Gualan  it  is  navigable  in  canoes.  Smaller 
streams  are  the  Ulua,  Aguan,  and  Segovia  in  Spanish 
Honduras,  which  are  navigable  for  pitpans.  Finally  we 
have  the  San  Juan,  known  as  one  of  the  elements  of  the 
"  Nicaragua  Canal "  route,  but  not  at  present  navigable 
for  boats  of  any  size. 

All  the  rivers  of  Central  America  that  can  be  used  for 
commerce  require  a  special  river  service ;  for  wherever 
the  depth  of  water  is  sufficient,  the  always-present  bar 
cuts  off  access  to  vessels  drawing  more  than  six  feet. 
Should  the  development  of  the  country  warrant  it,  the 
bar  of  the  Rio  Dulce  could  be  deepened  sufficiently  to 
admit  vessels  drawing  ten  or  fifteen  feet. 

Small  lakes  are  common  enough  in  the  northern  part 
of  Central  America.  The  Laguna  del  Peten  is  about  five 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  nine  leagues  long  and  five 
broad.  The  Lago  de  Atitlan,  in  the  Department  of 
Solola,  is  sixteen  and  a  half  miles  long  from  San  Lucas 
Toliman  to  San  Juan,  and  eight  miles  wide  from  San 
Buenaventura  to  Canajpii,  and  soundings  show  a  depth 
of  a  thousand  feet.  With  the  Laguna  de  Amatitlan,  this 
will  be  described  in  the  Itinerary.  Of  Honduras,  the 
chief  lakes  are  the  Laguna  de  Caratasca,  or  Cartago, 
close    on    the    Atlantic   coast,    thirty-six   miles   long   by 


10  GUATEMALA. 

twelve  wide ;  the  Lago  de  Yojoa,  between  the  Depart- 
ments of  Comayagua  and  Santa  Barbara,  twenty-five 
miles  long  and  from  five  to  eight  wide  ;  the  Lago  de 
Cartina,  eighteen  miles  by  eight,  and  the  Laguna  de  la 
Criba,  fifteen  by  seven  miles.  Of  all  the  lakes  of  Central 
America,  none  is  so  interesting  commercially  as  the  Lake 
of  Nicaragua.  It  is  large  (ninety  miles  by  forty),  and  the 
largest  south  of  Lake  Michigan.  Of  a  depth  sufficient 
for  all  vessels  (forty-five  fathoms  in  places),  and  con- 
nected with  the  Atlantic  by  the  Rio  San  Juan,  with  the 
Lago  de  Managua  (thirty-five  miles  by  sixteen),  by  the 
Tipitapa,  it  has  the  serious  disadvantage  of  being  a  vol- 
canic basin,  whose  bottom  may  at  any  time  be  elevated 
above  the  surface,  —  as  in  the  case  of  the  volcano  of 
Ometepec.  Whether  the  channel  between  these  two  lakes 
is  permanent,  is  a  matter  of  some  doubt,  as  travellers 
have  lately  found  no  water  flowing  from  Managua.  The 
Lago  de  Guija,  between  Guatemala  and  Salvador,  is 
seventeen  miles  long  from  east  to  west,  and  its  mean 
width  is  six.  Fishes  and  alligators  abound,  and  its  waters 
—  which  are  not  of  the  best  quality  —  discharge  through 
the  Lempa  to  the  Pacific.  Another  lake  in  Salvador  has 
attracted  attention  in  late  years  by  a  curious  volcanic 
disturbance  in  its  midst ;  Ilopango  will  be  described  with 
the  volcanoes. 

With  this  bare  list  of  some  of  the  prominent  features 
of  the  country,  we  may  join  a  brief  account  of  those 
other  natural  and  political  characteristics  of  what  was 
once  Spain's  stronghold  on  this  continent  that  have  most 
immediate  relation  to  the  present  inhabitants.  Leaving 
Guatemala  for  a  separate  chapter,  the  other  four  republics 
may  be  described  as  follows  :  — 


THE   KINGDOM   OF   GUATEMALA.  11 

Salvador.  —  The  smallest  in  extent,  but  by  far  the 
most  populous,  having  no  less  than  sixty-three  inhabitants 
to  the  square  mile.  The  central  part  is  an  upland  of  a 
mean  elevation  of  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  bounded 
on  the  Pacific  side  by  a  chain  of  volcanic  peaks ;  beyond 
these  a  strip  of  lowland  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  wide. 
Eastward  and  westward  are  two  great  depressions,  San 
Miguel  and  Sonsonate,  "the  place  of  a  hundred  springs  " 
(centsonatl).  The  Gulf  of  Fonseca,  fifty  miles  long  and 
nearly  thirty  wide,  is  said  to  be  the  most  beautiful  harbor 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  On  the  southwest  side  is  the  prin- 
cipal port  of  La  Union,  a  town  of  little  more  than  two 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  unhealthful,  as  are  all  the  Pacific 
ports.  The  mean  temperature  is  80°  Fahr. ;  and  were  it 
not  for  the  capital  commercial  facilities  of  the  town,  its  in- 
habitants would  be  few.  Libertad  has  an  open  roadstead, 
and  a  population  only  half  that  of  La  Union.  Acajutla 
lies  between  the  headlands  of  Remedios  and  Santiago,  and 
has  but  five  hundred  inhabitants  ;  as  the  port  of  Sonsonate 
(distant  five  leagues),  however,  it  is  much  frequented,  and 
is  provided  with  an  iron  pier,  as  is  Libertad.  In  1882  the 
first  railway  in  the  republic  was  opened,  from  Acajutla  to 
Sonsonate,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles ;  and  work  has  since 
been  slowly  progressing  in  the  direction  of  Santa  Ana. 

Mines  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  lead,  iron,  and  anthracite 
coal  are  found  within  the  borders  of  Salvador,  the  prin- 
cipal being  those  of  Loma-Larga,  Corozal,  Devisadero, 
Encuentros,  and  Tabanco. 

The  capital  was  founded  April  1,  1528,  by  Jorge  de 
Alvarado,  brother  of  the  conqueror  of  Guatemala  ;  but 
ten  or  twelve  years  afterwards  it  was  removed  to  its 
present  site   in  the  valley  De  los  Hamacas,  where  it  has 


12  GUATEMALA. 

been  many  times   rained  by  the  terrible  earthquakes  to 
which  this  region  is  especially  subject. 

The  republic  is  divided  into  fourteen  departments, 
twenty-nine  districts,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
towns. 

Departments.  Principal  Cities. 

Santa  Ana.  Santa  Ana  (25,000). 

Ahuachapan.  Ahuachapan. 

Sonsonate.  Sonsonate  (8,000). 

La  Libertad.  Nueva  San  Salvador  (Santa  Tecla). 

San  Salvador.  San  Salvador  (30,000). 

Chalatenango.  Chalatenango. 

Cuscatlan.  Cojutepeque. 

La  Paz.  Santa  Lucia  (Zacatecoluca). 

San  Vincente.  San  Vincente  (10,000). 

Cabanas.  Sensuntepeque. 

Usulutan.  Usulutan. 

San  Miguel.  San  Miguel. 

Gotera.  Gotera. 

La  Union.  San  Carlos  (La  Union). 

The  legislative  power  is  exercised  by  two  chambers,  — 
one  of  Deputies,  the  other  of  Senators  ;  each  Department 
elects  a  senator  and  a  substitute,  each  District  a  repre- 
sentative and  his  substitute.  The  executive  power  is  in 
the  hands  of  a  citizen  elected  as  President  by  the  people 
directly ;  should  there  be  no  election  by  an  absolute 
majority  of  votes,  the  General  Assembly  elects  from  the 
three  citizens  who  have  obtained  the  greatest  number  of 
votes.  Three  senators  are  designated  as  heirs-apparent. 
The  term  of  office  is  four  years,  without  immediate 
re-election.  The  judiciary  is  similar  in  order  and  func- 
tions in  all  these  republics,  and  will  be  described  as  in 
Guatemala.  The  organized  militia  numbers  about  thirteen 
thousand   men ;    and  in   case  of    invasion,   war  lawfully 


THE   KINGDOM  OF   GUATEMALA.  13 

declared,  and  internal  rebellion,  all  Salvadorenos  between 
the  ages  of  eighteen  and  fifty  are  liable  to  military 
duty. 

In  1879  the  number  of  primary  schools  was  624  (465 
boys',  and  the  rest  girls');  and  these  were  attended 
by  20,400  boys  and  4,038  girls,  at  a  probable  cost  of 
$150,000.  There  is  a  central  university,  with  faculties 
of  Law,  Medicine,  Theology,  and  Civil  Engineering,  and 
it  has  branches  at  Santa  Ana  and  San  Miguel. 

There  are  six  hundred  and  ninety-three  miles  of  tele- 
graph, with  forty-  offices ;  and  the  service  is  reasonably 
well  performed  by  the  Government  officials.  A  railroad 
between  Santa  Tecla  and  the  capital,  and  five  hun- 
dred and  nine  leagues  of  cart-roads,  afford  communi- 
cation ;  and  there  are  lines  of  stages  subsidized  by  the 
Government. 

In  1879  the  imports  were  $2,549,160.19,  and  the 
exports  $4,122,888.05  ;  the  income  $2,914,236.29,  and 
the  expenditures  $2,785,068.  The  funded  debt  was 
$1,945,201,  the  floating  debt  $392,777.11,  and  there 
is  no  foreign  debt. 

Salvador  is  essentially  an  agricultural  state,  and  coffee, 
indigo,  balsam,  tobacco,  rice,  cacao,  sugar,  rubber,  and 
other  less  important  products  are  produced  abundantly 
from  her  fertile  fields. 

Honduras.  —  The  third  republic  of  Central  America 
covers  an  area  of  about  forty  thousand  square  miles. 
Its  boundaries  are  seen  on  the  map,  and  its  surface  is 
diversified  with  high  mountain-ranges,  broad  and  fertile 
valleys,  vast  forests,  and  plentiful  streams.  Its  climate 
is  extremely  hot  on  the  coast  ;  but  in  the  mountain 
region,  as  at   Intibuca,  the  temperature  is  low.     Never 


14  GUATEMALA. 

so  hot  as  a  summer  in  New  England  cities,  and  not  so 
cold  as  to  check  a  most  luxuriant  vegetable  growth,  the 
traveller  has  an  alternation  of  spring  and  summer  as  he 
changes  his  level,  irrespective  of  the  astronomical  year. 
Four  hundred  miles  of  Atlantic  coast-line,  dotted  with 
river-mouths,  bays,  and  ports  ;  sixty  miles  on  the  Pacific 
side,  in  the  secure  Gulf  of  Fonseca,  —  seem  to  provide 
ample  commercial  advantages ;  and  to  make  these  of  use 
are  the  following  resources :  vast  plains  in  Comayagua 
and  Olancho,  covered  with  excellent  grass,  pasture  large 
herds  of  cattle,  thousands  of  which  are  shipped  each 
year  to  Cuba.1  The  forests,  which  occupy  much  of  the 
Atlantic  coast-region  and  the  lower  mountain-slopes 
abound  in  mahogany,  rosewood,  cedar  (Bursera),  logwood 
(Hcematoxylon  camjiecheanum),  brazil-wood  (Ccesaljnnia 
Braziliensis),  sarsaparilla  (Smilax),  and  other  marketable 
products  ;  the  principal  timber  regions  being  on  the  rivers 
Ulua,  Aguan,  Negro,  and  Patuca,  —  all  on  the  Atlantic 
side.  In  mineral  wealth  Honduras  easily  outranks  all  her 
sister  republics.  Silver  ores  are  exceedingly  abundant, 
chiefly  on  the  Pacific  slopes ;  and  among  them  are  chlorides 
of  remarkable  richness.  Gold  washings  occur  in  Olancho, 
and  are  now  worked  by  several  foreign  companies.  Cop- 
per deposits  are  often  mingled  with  silver ;  iron  exists  as 
magnetite,  —  sometimes  so  pure  that  it  may  be  worked 
without  smelting  ;  antimony,  tin,  and  zinc  also  have  been 
reported.  Beds  of  lignite  are  found  in  the  Department  of 
Gracias  ;  and  here  too  are  the  Hondurenan  opals.  Fruits 
of  many  kinds  are  now  grown  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Puerto    Cortez,    such    as    bananas,    plantains,    coconuts, 

1  This  business  is   declining,    owing  to   the   inferior   cattle   produced   in 
Florida  and  shipped  at  a  cheaper  rate. 


THE   KINGDOM   OF   GUATEMALA.  15 

pines,  for  which  there  is  a  constant  demand  from  the 
steamers  which  come  here  from  New  Orleans.  Of  indigo 
little  is  now  exported ;  but  the  production  of  tobacco  is 
increasing.  Especially  fine  is  the  leaf  grown  near  Copan, 
rivalling,  when  properly  cured,  the  best  product  of  the 
Cuban  valleys  ;  but  the  common  cigars,  which  are  sold  for 
eight  dollars  per  thousand,  are  dear  even  at  that  price.  In 
1879  the  importations  were  valued  at  about  one  million 
dollars,  and  the  exports  twice  that  amount.  In  later 
years  these  exports  have  largely  increased.  A  railroad 
of  narrow  gauge  extends  from  Puerto  Cortez  to  San 
Pedro,  —  thirty-seven  miles  ;  and  while  the  republic  is 
sadly  deficient  in  cart-roads,  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that  the 
authorities  are  doing  something  to  improve  these  very 
necessary  means,  in  the  expectation  that  the  country  is 
to  develop  as  it  deserves. 

The  government    is   very  like   that  of   Salvador,  and 
the  administrative  departments  are  :  — 

Departments.  Chief  Cities. 

Islas  de  la  Balna.  Coxen  Hole  (Roatan). 

Yoro.  Yoro. 

Olancho.  Juticalpa. 

Parai'so.  Yuscaran. 

Tegucigalpa.  Tegucigalpa  (12,000). 

Choluteca.  Choluteca. 

La  Paz.  La  Paz. 

Comayagua.  Comayagua  (10,000). 

Santa  Barbara.  Santa  Barbara. 

Gracias.  Gracias. 

Copan.  Santa  Rosa. 

Colon.  Trujillo. 

Public  lands  are  abundant,  and  are  granted  to  actual 
settlers  of  any  nationality  at  low  rates,  provided  they 


16  GUATEMALA. 

will  cultivate  them.  The  towns  are  all  small,  although 
some  of  them  were  flourishing  sixty  years  before  the 
settlement  of  Jamestown  in  Virginia.  Of  the  more  im- 
portant are  Tegucigalpa,  the  capital,  in  the  midst  of  a 
plain  some  three  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  mining  region.  It  possesses  a  Universidad 
Central,  founded  in  1849  by  Don  Juan  Linclo,  then  Pres- 
ident. Comayagua  was  founded  in  1540  by  Alonzo  de 
Caceres,  also  in  the  midst  of  a  plain,  where  still  are 
visible  the  monuments  of  antiquity,  —  the  less  perishable 
works  of  a  people  more  energetic  than  their  successors ; 
for  with  the  exception  of  some  few  churches,  little  of 
the  work  of  the  present  inhabitants  would  survive  three 
centuries  of  occupation  by  a  foreign  invader.  Amapala, 
on  the  Island  of  Tigre,  in  the  Gulf  of  Fonseca,  was  for- 
merly a  favorite  rendezvous  of  the  buccaneers,  Drake 
making  it  his  base  of  operations  in  the  South  Sea.  Now 
it  is  no  less  desirable  as  a  port,  having  deep  water  close 
to  shore.  Puerto  Cortez,  or  Puerto  Caballos,  —  as  Cortez 
called  it,  from  the  death  of  some  of  his  horses  here,  — 
on  the  north  coast,  in  latitude  15°  49'  N.,  and  longitude 
87°  57'  W.,  was  selected  by  Cortez  as  the  entrepot  of 
New  Spain,  under  the  name  of  Navedad.  For  more 
than  two  hundred  years  it  was  the  principal  port  on  the 
coast ;  but  dread  of  the  buccaneers  caused  the  removal  to 
Omoa.  The  bay  is  nine  miles  in  circumference,  with  a 
depth  of  from  four  to  twelve  fathoms  over  its  principal 
area ;  and  on  the  northern  side,  where  the  water  is 
deepest,  large  ocean  steamers  may  come  to  the  wharves. 
Omoa,  in  latitude  15°  47'  N.  and  longitude  88°  5'  W.. 
has  a  smaller  harbor,  defended  by  the  Castillo  cle  San 
Fernando.     Trujillo,  an  ancient  port  on  the  western  shore 


THE   KINGDOM   OF   GUATEMALA.  17 

of  a  noble  bay,  is  now  growing  in  importance  with  the 
development  of  Olancho,  of  which  it  is  the  natural  sea- 
port ;  but  it  has  no  wharf  or  any  sufficient  landing- 
place  for  merchandise. 

The  Bay  Islands  are  small,  but  of  considerable  impor- 
tance. Roatan,  the  largest,  is  about  thirty  miles  long 
by  nine  broad,  and  in  its  highest  part  nearly  a  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea.  Guanaja,  or  Bonaca,  the  first  land 
of  Central  America  discovered  by  Columbus  on  his  fourth 
voyage,  is  fifteen  miles  from  Roatan,  and  of  an  extent  of 
five  by  nine  miles.  This  group  is  fertile,  and  with  a  fine 
climate  should  prove  very  attractive  to  settlers  from  the 
North  who  appreciate  the  waste  of  life  in  an  arctic  cli- 
mate of  eight  months  each  year,  when  all  vegetation 
ceases  to  grow,  and  man  himself  can  be  kept  alive  only 
by  artificial  heat,  where  the  farmer  must  toil  wearily  four 
months  for  the  poor  produce  that  is  to  sustain  him  all 
the  "  famine  months,"  and  the  laborer  live  poorly  all  the 
twelvemonth,  whatever  be  his  work. 

The  history  of  Honduras  has  not  been  a  happy  one, 
even  since  its  revolt  from  the  Spanish  yoke  in  1821,  and 
revolutions  have  been  the  rule ;  but  in  1865  a  new  Con- 
stitution was  adopted,  with  some  prospect  of  internal 
quiet.  The  four  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  include 
perhaps  seven  thousand  whites,  the  Spanish  population 
being  mainly  on  the  Pacific  side,  Caribs  along  the  Atlantic 
coast,  and  several  thousand  of  the  mixed  races,  the  great 
majority  being  Indios,  known  as  Xicaques  and  Poyas. 
Perhaps  the  most  adverse  influence  to  the  progress  of  this 
naturally  rich  republic,  next  to  the  revolutions,  was  the 
scandalous  loan  for  building  the  "  Honduras  Inter-oceanic 
Railway  "  from  Puerto  Cortez  to  the  Gulf  of  Fonseca,  a 


18  GUATEMALA. 

hundred  and  forty-eight  miles.  This  loan,  amounting  in 
1876  to  $27,000,000,  was  as  complete  a  swindle  as  has 
ever  disgraced  American  finances ;  but  the  people  of  Hon- 
duras, although  responsible  for  the  debt,  had  little  to  do 
with  its  origin,  and  cannot  rightly  be  blamed  for  not  pay- 
ing interest  on  what  they  never  had  any  advantage  from. 
The  internal  debt  is  about  $2,000,000. 

Nicaragua.  —  Of  nearly  the  same  area  as  Honduras, 
Nicaragua  is  chiefly  distinguished  by  its  lower  level  and 
the  great  lake  which  offers  so  inviting  a  route  for  an 
inter-oceanic  canal.  The  same  fertility  and  genial  climate 
extend  from  the  Hondureiian  uplands  into  Chontales  and 
Segovia,  where  Northerners  can  enjoy  life ;  but  it  is  hot 
and  unwholesome  near  the  sea,  especially  throughout  the 
Mosquito  Reservation,  where  the  frequent  river-floods 
and  the  miasmatic  marshes  breed  an  endemic  fever  very 
fatal  to  Europeans.  The  mean  annual  temperature  (ex- 
cepting the  highlands)  is  about  80°  F.,  falling  to  70°  at 
night,  and  rising  to  90°  in  the  hottest  weather.  The 
seasons,  as  elsewhere  in  Central  America,  are  two,  —  the 
wet  from  May  to  November,  the  dry  including  the  winter 
months.  At  Rivas,  on  the  isthmus  between  the  Lago  de 
Nicaragua  and  the  Pacific,  the  annual  rainfall  is  about 
a  hundred  and  two  inches ;  elsewhere  the  summer  rain- 
fall is  about  ninety,  and  the  winter  less  than  ten. 

Geologically,  Nicaragua  is  no  less  rich  than  Honduras 
in  variety  of  structure  and  mineral  possibilities.  The 
volcanic  formations  on  the  extreme  West  are  rich  in 
pumice  and  sulphur,  while  across  the  lake  are  andesyte, 
trachyte,  greenstone,  and  metalliferous  porphyries,  suc- 
ceeded by  crystallized  schists,  dolerites,  and  metamorphic 
beds,  extending,  so  far  as  is  known,  beneath  the  alluvial 


THE   KINGDOM   OF   GUATEMALA.  19 

deposits  of  the  coast-region.  The  Chontales  gold  mines 
have  been  worked  for  some  time  near  Libertad,  and  so 
have  the  silver  mines  of  Matagalpa  and  Dipilto ;  but  the 
total  annual  yield  of  precious  metals  seldom  exceeds 
$200,000. 

The  chief  articles  of  export  are  cacao,  hides,  coffee, 
and  gums,  as  well  as  gold  and  silver  bullion ;  and  in 
1880  the  exports  amounted  to  $2,057,500,  and  the  im- 
ports to  $1,475,000.  The  revenue  for  this  year  was 
$2,435,000,  while  the  expenditures  slightly  exceeded  it. 
All  Nicaraguans  between  the  age  of  eighteen  and  thirty- 
five  are  in  the  army. 

For  more  than  half  a  century  Nicaragua  has  been 
darkly  distinguished  above  all  other  countries  of  the 
world  by  war  and  bloodshed.  Military  pronunciami- 
e?itos,  civil  war,  and  popular  revolts  have  so  exhausted  all 
the  resources  of  this  rich  country  that  it  is  quiet  at  last 
from  utter  exhaustion.  Could  these  fermenting  repub- 
lics be  induced  to  give  up  their  absurd  and  expensive 
military  establishments,  and  expend  the  money,  now 
worse  than  wasted,  in  opening  roads  and  teaching  the 
people  something  besides  military  drill,  the  prosperity 
of  this  wonderfully  fertile  and  agreeable  region  would 
be  assured.  Only  their  revolutionary  habits  now  stand 
in  the  way  of  the  introduction  of  foreign  capital ;  and 
are  not  these  habits  fostered  by  the  constant  military 
display  which  guards  the  President  and  judges  alike  ?  It 
is  certainly  foreign  to  all  Northern  ideas  to  have  a  court 
of  justice  guarded  by  military  sentinels.  Would  that  this 
Eden  might  be  reclaimed,  the  swords  beaten  into  plough- 
shares, and  the  generals  and  other  officers  turn  their 
wasted  energies  to  agriculture  and  commerce  ! 


20 


GUATEMALA. 


Nicaragua  is  divided  into  the  following  departments, 
according;  to  the  census  of  1882 :  — 


Departments, 
Managua     .     .     . 
Granada 

Leon       .... 
Rivas     .... 
Chinandega 
Ckontales    . 
Matagalpa 
Nueva  .Segovia 
San  Juan  del  Norte 
Mosquitia  . 


Chief  Cities. 


12,000 
51,056 

26,389 
16,875 
17,578 
27,738 
51,699 
36,902 
2,000 
36,000 


Managua    . 
Granada 
Leon 
Rivas     . 
Chinandega 
Libertad     . 
Matagalpa 
Ocotal   .     . 
Greytown  . 
Blewfields  . 


7,800 

16,000 

25,000 

10,000 

11,000 

5,000 

9,000 

3,000 

1,512 

1,000 


pon  for  the 


These  figures  cannot,  however,  be  relied 
population.  With  a  coast-line  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  on  the  Caribbean  Sea,  the  only  port  is  San  Juan  del 
Norte  (Greytown),  formed  by  the  northern  branch  of  the 
delta  of  the  San  Juan ;  and  this  is  now  nearly  choked 
with  sand.  The  Pacific  coast  is  bold  and  rocky,  extending 
nearly  two  hundred  miles  from  Coseguina  Point  to  Sali- 
nas Bay,  and  has  several  convenient  harbors,  as  San  Juan 
del  Sur,  Brito,  and,  best  of  all,  Realejo.  Among  the 
chief  cities  is  Leon,  founded  by  Francisco  Fernandez  de 
Cordoba  in  1523  in  Imbita,  near  the  northwest  shore 
of  Lago  de  Managua,  whence  it  was  moved  in  1610  to 
the  present  site  at  the  Indian  town  of  Subtiaba.  Mana- 
gua, the  capital  of  the  republic,  was  nearly  destroyed  in 
1876  by  a  land-slide,  but  is  now  rebuilt.  Granada  is  the 
collegiate  town  of  the  republic,  and  is  on  the  shores  of 
the  great  lake.  A  railway  has  long  been  in  process  of 
construction  to  connect  the  capital  with  the  ocean.  In 
1882  the  telegraphic  system  of  eight  hundred  miles  was 
completed,  and  eighty-one  thousand  despatches  were  for- 


THE   KINGDOM  OF   GUATEMALA.  21 

warded  the  preceding  year  through  twenty-six  offices. 
In  1882  the  total  attendance  at  the  national  schools  was 
only  five  thousand,  or  less  than  eight  per  cent  of  the 
whole  population.  The  annual  grant  for  the  purposes  of 
education  was  $50,000. 

The  Mosquito  coast  cuts  from  Nicaragua  a  large  por- 
tion of  her  shore-line,  precisely  as  British  Honduras  robs 
Guatemala  of  hers ;  and  this  has  been  a  cause  of  serious 
trouble.  This  territory,  which  is  about  forty  miles  wide, 
had  been  under  the  protection  of  Great  Britain  from  1655 
to  1850,  when  that  very  un-American  document  the  Clay- 
ton-Bulwer  treaty  gave  England  certain  rights  in  her  col- 
ony of  Belize  in  exchange  for  such  claims  as  she  had  to 
this  coast,  and  by  the  treaty  of  Managua,  in  1860,  she 
formally  ceded  her  protectorate  to  Nicaragua ;  but  there 
are  still  several  disputed  points. 

Costa  Rica.  —  The  fifth  and  most  southern  republic  of 
Central  America  has  an  area  of  only  twenty-one  thousand 
square  miles.  The  Atlantic  coast  is  low,  and  the  country 
is  covered  with  a  dense  forest,  while  the  Pacific  slope  is 
characterized  by  wide  savannas,  or  llanuras.  Between 
these  borders  are  high  volcanoes  and  an  elevated  table- 
land three  to  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  —  the 
latter  almost  the  only  cultivated  land  in  the  State.  The 
forests  are  largely  composed  of  very  valuable  trees,  — 
mahogany,  ebony,  brazil-wood,  and  oak ;  and  the  usual 
tropical  fruits  grow  well.  Coffee,  however,  is  the  staple 
export,  being  grown  extensively  in  the  neighborhood  of 
San  Jose  and  Cartago;  the  soil  most  favorable  being  dark 
volcanic  ash,  from  three  to  eighteen  feet  deep.  The 
amount  exported  in  1874  was  valued  at  $4,464,000 ;  in 
1885  the  amount  is  placed  at  $4,219,617. 


22 


GUATEMALA. 


On  the  Atlantic  side  Puerto  Liraon  is  the  chief  com- 
mercial town,  and  on  the  Pacific,  Punta  Arenas.  In 
1871  the  Government  negotiated  a  loan  in  London  of 
$5,000,000,  and  the  next  year  another  of   $12,000,000, 

—  but  from  both  of  them  never  received  more  than 
$5,058,059.60,  —  with  the  avowed  intention  of  building 
an  inter-oceanic  railway  between  the  two  principal  ports  5 
but  only  detached  portions  have  been  built,  —  twenty-four 
miles  from  Alajuela  to  Cartago,  sixty  from  Limon  to  Car- 
rillo,  and  six  from  Punta  Arenas  to  Esparta.  The  country 
is  bankrupt,  and  makes  no  attempt  to  pay  any  part  of  its 
liabilities ;  indeed,  its  revenues,  derived  from  intolerable 
duties  (even  on  the  export  of  coffee),  monopolies  of  spirits 
and  tobacco,  national  bank,  sales  of  land,  and  internal 
taxes,  do  not  balance  the  expenditures. 

The  legislature  is  composed  of  a  Congress  of  Deputies, 

—  one  for  each  electoral  district,  —  holding  office  six 
years,  half  being  renewed  every  three  years.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Corte  cle  Justicia  are  elected  by  Congress. 
The  present  constitution  (from  1871)  is  the  seventh  that 
has  been  in  force.     The  departments  are,  — 


Departments. 

Chief  Cities 

San  Jose 

45,000 

San  Jose 

l."),000 

Cartago  .... 

36,000 

Cartago  . 

10,000 

Heredia  * 

30,000 

Heredia  . 

9,000 

Alajuela 

29,000 

Alajuela 

6,000 

G-uanacaste 

8,000 

2,000 

Punta  Arenas   . 

6,000 

Punta  Arenas  . 

1,800 

The  population  is  estimated  by  M.  Belly. 

Both   the    northern   boundary   on   Nicaragua,   and  the 
southern  one  on  Columbia,  are  in  dispute.1 


1  Guatemala  has  been  accepted  (1886)  by  both  Nicaragua  and  Costa  Rica 

as  referee  in  the  boundary  dispute. 


THE   KINGDOM  OF   GUATEMALA.  23 

I  have  endeavored  to  give  most  briefly  the  chief  mat- 
ters of  importance  relating  to  the  four  republics  that,  with 
Guatemala,  constitute  Central  America.  I  am  well  aware 
that  I  have  turned,  that  I  can  turn  but  little  light  on 
the  darkness ;  too  little  is  known  of  the  country,  beyond 
its  trade  and  political  relations  to  the  rest  of  the  world. 
Volcanoes,  earthquakes,  and  revolutions  have  popularly 
been  associated  with  the  whole  region,  and  public  taste 
has  been  turned  away  from  such  unpleasant  outbreaks  of 
subterranean  fires  or  human  passions.  The  time  will 
come  when  these  regions,  far  more  fertile  and  accessible 
than  those  African  wilds  that  for  a  score  of  years  have 
interested,  strangely  enough,  both  explorer  and  capitalist, 
will  claim  the  attention  due  their  natural  merits ;  and 
the  fertile  plains  will  be  the  garden  and  orchard  of  the 
United  States,  —  not  necessarily  by  political  annexation, 
but  by  commercial  intercourse.  All  our  sugar,  all  our 
coffee,  all  our  rice,  all  our  chocolate,  all  our  india-rubber 
ought  to  come  from  Central  America,  where  these  pro- 
ducts can  be  raised  better  and  cheaper  than  in  any  other 
country ;  and  next  to  these  staples,  the  subsidiary  fruits, 
as  oranges,  plantains,  bananas,  pines,  limes,  granadillas, 
aguacates,  and  dozens  of  others  now  unknown  to  com- 
merce, ought  to  come  to  us  from  Limon,  Puerto  Cortez, 
and  Livingston.  These  are  to  be  obtained  in  Guatemala 
of  better  quality  and  in  better  order  than  in  the  West 
Indies.  Louisiana  would  then  perhaps  give  up  the  un- 
natural cultivation  of  sugar,  and  Florida  cease  her  use- 
less striving  to  raise  really  good  oranges,  and  both  States 
turn  to  the  products  they  are  better  fitted  for  raising. 

I  will  ask  you  to  go  with  me  through  the  republic 
of   Guatemala,  and  to  see  it,  so  far  as  you  can,  with  my 


24  GUATEMALA. 

eyes ;  and  until  that  journey  is  ended,  we  will  leave  the 
story  of  the  old  times,  the  present  system  of  government, 
the  ethnology,  the  volcanoes,  the  flora  and  fauna,  to 
chapters  by  themselves,  even  if  the  unsystematic  arrange- 
ment should  savor  strongly  of  the  irregularity  of  the 
land  we  journey  through. 


Luciano  Calletano  (Captain  at  Chocon). 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   ATLANTIC    COAST    AND    ITS    CONNECTIONS. 

AS  the  steamer  anchors  far  from  the  shore  at  the 
port  of  Livingston,  the  traveller  sees  almost  ex- 
actly what  the  Spaniards  saw,  —  earth,  sky,  and  sea,  — 
so  little  change  have  four  centuries  wrought  on  the  outer 
shores  of  Guatemala.  Northward  are  the  picturesque 
hills  of  British  Honduras,  backed  by  the  blue  summits 
of  the  Cockscomb  range ;  southward  the  majestic  San 
Gil,  bearing  like  another  Atlas  the  clouds  on  his  broad 
shoulders ;  eastward  the  low  Cays,  covered  with  the 
feathery  coconuts  ;  before  him  the  shore,  here  marked 
by  a  long  limestone  cliff  crowned  by  the  palm-sheltered 
houses  of  the  Caribs,  while  farther  to  the  westward 
rise  the  Santa  Cruz  mountains.  The  yellow  waters  of 
some  great  river  lave  the  vessel's  sides ;  but  no  break 
is  visible  in  the  landward  horizon. 

For  a  while  all  is  as  it  was  when  Hernan  Cortez,  in 
the  year  1525,  came  to  this  shore  after  his  terrible 
march  from  Mexico.  There  was  even  then  a  little  vil- 
lage on  the  high  bluff ;  and  he  found  two  of  his  country- 
men gathering  sapotes  {Lucuma  mammosa)  to  save  the 
little  colony  of  Spaniards,  a  few  leagues  farther  south, 
from  starving.  Waiting  in  the  early  dawn  for  the  land- 
ing-boats, I  cannot  but  recall  the  ancient  times  ;  imagina- 


26  GUATEMALA. 

tion  sinks  the  great  steamer  into  the  little  caravel,  and 
the  feelings  of  the  conquistador es  are  mine  for  the  time. 
Soon  the  white  sails  drop  out  from  the  foliage,  the  canoes 
are  seen  rapidly  approaching,  and  the  chatter  of  Caribs, 
both  men  and  women,  banishes  all  day-dreams. 

The  '•  Progreso,"  once  a  Buzzard  Bay  racer,  sails  rapidly 
out  and  takes  on  board  her  cargo,  — my  friend,  his  mother, 
and  myself,  and  traps  of  no  light  weight.  Her  bows 
are  soon  turned  landward,  and  as  she  glides  along,  all 
the  features  of  the  shore  unfold,  —  the  coco-palms  of 
marked  luxuriance,  the  thatched  houses  with  shining 
white  walls,  the  limestone  cliff  almost  covered  with  con- 
volvulus and  other  foliage,  the  narrow  beach,  the  canoes 
of  various  size  and  shape.  We  turn  a  point,  and  the  town 
of  Livingston  is  before  us,  and  we  are  in  the  mouth  of 
the  Rio  Dulce. 

On  the  shore  the  only  prominent  building  is  the  cus- 
tom-house, built  before  Livingston  was  declared  a  free 
port ;  and  in  front  of  this  is  a  low,  dilapidated  wharf,  at 
which  our  tender  landed  us,  the  water  being  not  more 
than  fifteen  inches  deep.  The  tides  here  are  less  than  a 
foot,  so  that  shoal-water  keeps  boats  of  any  size  at  a  dis- 
tance, making  landing  difficult.  It  was  comforting  to 
know  that  a  charter  for  a  wharf  had  been  obtained,  and 
that  our  successors  may  land  with  greater  ease. 

We  did  not  find  the  heat  greater  than  on  the  steamer 
in  the  offing,  and  even  the  necessary  bustle  and  trouble 
in  getting  lue;o'aa;e  transferred  to  the  backs  of  men  did 
not  cause  discomfort.  The  custom-house  and  a  few 
offices  occupy  the  front  of  an  amphitheatre  with  very 
steep  sides,  above  which  is  the  town.  Springs  burst 
from  the  gravel  and  furnish  pools  for  the  washerwomen, 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS. 


27 


whose  sturdy,  yet  graceful  forms,  barely  concealed  by 
their  scanty  garb,  are  very  attractive.  Some  stood  in 
the  clear  pools,  others  bent  over  the  washing-stones, 
some  played  with  their  children  in  the  water,  while 
others  climbed  the  steep  path  to  the  town,  carrying  a 
head-burden  of  great  weight. 


Barrack   Point,    Livingston. 

Our  abode  was  on  the  Campo  Santo  Viejo,  the  burial- 
hill  of  former  days,  and  right  across  our  path  lay  the 
empty  tomb  of  a  son  of  Carrera,  the  former  President  of 
Guatemala ;  as  we  passed  this  we  noted  the  admirable 
mortar  with  which  its  bricks  were  laid,  —  so  strong  that 
no  brick  can  be  cut  out  whole.  On  this  resting-place 
of  perished  Caribs  the  foreign  inhabitants  of  Livingston 
dwell.     It   is  the  west  end  of  the  town,  and  overlooks 


28  GUATEMALA. 

both  the  river  and  the  native  town,  where  are  also  the 
stores  and  the  hotels. 

All  descriptions  of  a  growing  town  must  be  unsatis- 
factory, so  rapidly  does  the  population  and  topography 
change;  and  a  few  words  may  convey  all  the  geographical 
knowledge  needed.  Rolling  ground,  which  might  easily 
be  drained,  but  is  not ;  streets  generally  at  right  angles, 
none  paved,  and  most  of  them  exceedingly  muddy  in 
wet  weather  ;  fences  of  the  rudest  form,  mostly  sticks 
bound  together  with  vines  ;  houses  with  walls  of  adobe 
or  of  wattle,  in  both  cases  covered  with  mud  plaster 
and  whitewashed,  none  of  them  over  one  story,  but  with 
high  roofs  thatched  with  palm  ;  j^ards,  but  no  gardens  ; 
stores  here  and  there  built  of  boards  from  New  Orleans, 
and  occupied  by  foreigners,  —  French,  Germans,  Italians, 
Americans  [del  Norte) ;  a  dilapidated  chapel  on  or 
among  the  neglected  foundations  of  an  intended  church  ; 
beyond  this  the  barracks  on  a  beautiful  point ;  children 
of  all  ages  playing  in  the  dirt  and  merrily  greeting 
the  passer-by  with  their  black,  shiny,  healthy  faces ; 
palm-trees,  mangoes,  sapotes,  bread-fruit,  oranges,  anonas, 
bananas,  and  coffee-trees  scattered  without  order,  and 
wholly  uncultivated,  —  make  the  external  features  of 
this  place.  No  vehicles  are  in  the  streets,  though  a 
few  horses  roam  untethered  through  the  town.  Every 
burden  is  carried  on  the  heads  of  men  or  women.  The 
house-doors  are  all  open ;  but  the  interior  is  generally 
too  dark  to  disclose  much  of  the  inner  mysteries  to  the 
stranger.  Westward  from  the  town  lies  the  new  Campo 
Santo,  and  beyond  this  the  almost  impenetrable  forest. 

The  situation  of  Livingston  is  good,  —  at  the  mouth  of 
one  of  the  finest  rivers  of  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Central 


THE   ATLANTIC    COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS.        29 

America.  The  climate  is  very  healthful  and  agreeable, 
and  the  frequent  communication  by  two  lines  of  steamers 
with  New  Orleans,  one  line  with  New  York,  and  another 
with  Liverpool,  make  it  an  important  business-centre. 
All  the  fine  coffee  from  Alta  Verapaz  and  the  fruit  from 
the  plantations  on  the  Chocon  and  Polochic  is  shipped 
here  ;  and  the  product  might  be  indefinitely  increased. 
The  drawbacks  are  a  bar  with  only  a  fathom  of  water 
at  the  mouth  of  a  river  navigable  otherwise  for  many 
miles  by  the  largest  steamers,  no  wharves,  little  enterprise 
on  the  part  of  the  native  inhabitants,  and  a  frequent  sea- 
breeze  in  the  afternoon,  which  sometimes  makes  landing 
through  the  rough  water  on  the  bar  unpleasant.  The 
population  is  about  two  thousand,  chiefly  Caribs ;  and 
long  inaction  and  complete  lack  of  enterprise  have  pro- 
duced a  people  poor  and  careless  of  riches  if  obtained  at 
the  price  of  labor.  As  in  all  similar  places,  there  is  no 
lack  of  adventurers  of  the  lowest  character. 

All  this  matter  is  not,  however,  learned  at  once,  and 
observation  must  be  depended  on  rather  than  report  ;  for 
the  merchants  of  Livingston  see  the  prospects  of  their 
town  in  very  different  lights  when  talking  with  a  mere 
visitor  or  with  a  possible  rival  in  the  small  but  very 
profitable  business.  As  a  stranger,  I  was  told  that  the 
place  was  an  el  dorado  ;  that  limitless  crops  grew  with- 
out urging  from  a  soil  of  unequalled  richness ;  that  the 
climate  was  salubrious,  and  eternal  summer  reigned  ;  that 
business  was  brisk,  and  constantly  increasing  under  wise 
laws  and  a  favoring  government.  As  a  settler,  the  song 
was  sung  to  me  in  a  minor  key  :  labor  was  not  to  be  had ; 
no  good  lands  could  be  obtained  ;  the  steamers  were  the 
tyrants  of  the  place,  and  all  earnings  were  eaten  up  by 


30  GUATEMALA. 

freights.  Then  there  were  the  warning  cries  of  those 
unfortunate  men  who  wanted  to  make  money  in  a  newly 
opened  country,  but  had  not  the  necessary  courage  and 
endurance  for  a  pioneer.  They  had  not  met  success,  and 
they  had  not  grit  enough  to  seek  it.  Micawbers  far  from 
home,  they  waited  for  something  to  turn  up. 

The  process  of  finding  out  about  the  place  was  not  an 
unpleasant  one ;  it  was  what  we  had  come  for,  and  we 
began  it  the  first  day  at  breakfast.  While  we  lodged  in 
our  house  on  the  hill,  we  took  our  meals  —  with  the  ex- 
ception of  early  coffee  and  rolls  —  in  the  town  at  the  house 
of  Seilor  Castellan ;  and  they  were  in  genuine  Hispano- 
American  style.  Eleven  o'clock  is  the  hour  for  ahmierzo, 
or  breakfast,  and  thus  the  time  for  ceasing  work  and 
taking  the  needed  midday  rest.  Late  in  the  afternoon 
came  the  comida,  or  dinner, — differing  from  breakfast  only 
in  the  occasional  provision  of  didces,  or  sweetmeats.  The 
menu  was  constant ;  an  oily  soup,  beans  black  or  white, 
beef  or  chicken  stew  with  chillis,  fish,  bread,  and  coffee, 
formed  the  almost  unva^ing  round.  Our  waiters  were 
two  little  boys,  —  one  the  son  of  our  host,  the  other  his 
ward.  With  our  coffee  we  generally  had  fresh  milk  ;  but 
when  the  supply  of  this  failed,  a  can  of  condensed  milk 
took  its  place.  Not  infrequently  the  sugar  also  failed  ; 
and  then  one  of  the  boys  ran  to  the  nearest  store  and 
bought  half  a  pound  of  a  coarse  brown  kind,  and  replen- 
ished the  saucer  that  did  duty  as  sugar-bowl.  No  supply 
of  anything  was  ever  kept  in  the  house. 

Our  dining-room  was  dark,  —  the  only  light  coming 
from  the  open  doors  at  either  end.  There  was  but  the 
earth,  hard  trodden,  for  the  floor,  and  the  furnishing  was 
simple  enough,  —  a  rough  table  and  half  a  dozen  rickety 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS.        31 

chairs.  A  tablecloth  served  also  for  napkins,  and  the 
dishes  were  of  many  patterns,  colors,  and  degrees  of 
dirtiness.  It  seemed  absurd  to  call  for  a  clean  plate  ;  but 
we  did  so,  to  see  what  would  happen.  Besides  our 
own  party  of  four,  we  had  a  padre  and  an  Italian  as 
fellow-boarders ;  and  a  little  observation  of  the  habits 
of  these  polite  friends  helped  us  much  in  our  new 
circumstances. 

A  large  tame  duck  used  to  waddle  under  my  chair, 
and  at  last  would  take  bits  of  tortilla  from  my  hand. 
Several  mangy  dogs  and  cats  had  to  be  driven  out  when- 
ever we  sat  down  to  eat ;  but  the  hens  were  not  disturbed, 
for  they  contributed  so  much  to  our  larder  that  they 
were  privileged,  and  one  nested  in  an  old  felt  hat  on  a 
corner  shelf,  while  another  came  cackling  out  of  one  of 
the  dark  bedrooms  that  opened  on  either  side.  In  spite 
of  all  these  drawbacks,  we  liked  the  cookery,  and  did 
ample  justice  to  it. 

As  the  ancient  Romans  in  their  luxury  had  entertain- 
ment for  the  eye  as  they  reclined  at  meat,  we  in  our 
simplicity  had  a  constantly  moving  panorama  at  our 
street  door.  Stout  Carib  women,  straight  as  one  could 
wish,  walked  by,  with  every  burden,  however  insignifi- 
cant, balanced  on  the  head.  Half  a  pound  of  sugar  or  a 
dose  of  salts  would  be  placed  above  the  turban  as  surely 
as  would  a  heavy  jar  of  water  or  a  house-timber.  Some 
fine  forms,  both  of  men  and  women,  made  part  of  this 
procession  ;  and  the  latter  wore  garments  short  at  either 
end,  fastened  over  one  shoulder  only,  and  displaying  the 
bust  perfectly.  A  soldier  came  along  once  in  a  while, 
but  only  his  cap  and  musket  told  his  class.  Boys  wrest- 
ling but  seldom  fighting,  dogs  fighting  for  a  bone,  —  all 


32  GUATEMALA. 

helped  us  to  prolong  our  meal.  It  was  difficult  to  make 
the  boys  understand  that  they  must  not  spit  on  the  floor 
as  they  handed  us  the  dishes.  A  large  brick  oven  in  the 
courtyard  furnished  bread  for  a  number  of  families,  and 
good  bread. 

In  our  walks  about  the  town  we  were  often  politely 
invited  into  the  houses,  and  so  had  a  chance  to  see  the 
cassava  bread  making.  The  tuberous  roots  of  the  manioc 
(Manihot  utilissima)  often  attain  a  weight  of  twenty  or 
thirty  pounds,  and  are  full  of  a  poisonous  juice,  deadly  when 
swallowed.  A  mahogany  board  is  provided,  into  which 
broken  crystals  of  quartz  are  inserted,  and  this  serves  to 
grate  the  root  into  a  coarse  meal,  which  is  washed  care- 
fully (the  starch  is  partly  removed,  and  settles  in  the 
water  as  tapioca),  and  is  then  placed  in  a  long  sack  of 
basket-work,  called  very  appropriately  ser]ne?ite.  This 
ingenious  press  is  fastened  at  one  end  to  a  house-beam, 
while  on  a  lever  placed  through  the  loop  at  the  other  end 
all  the  children  of  the  family  sit  in  turn,  or  together  if 
they  are  small ;  and  the  squeezed  mass  is  dexterously 
made  afterwards  into  flat  loaves  about  three  feet  in  diam- 
eter, and  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  dried, 
and  then  baked.  The  result  is  a  wholesome  and  very 
nutritious  bread,  which  keeps  a  long  time  and  is  capital 
on  an  excursion.  Later  on,  when  our  own  housekeeping 
was  in  order,  we  found  it  made  excellent  puddings,  and 
was  better  than  crackers  in  soup  ;  while  in  the  woods 
it  was  indispensable.  It  is  also  a  capital  diet  in  dys- 
pepsia, can  be  eaten  in  sea-sickness  when  all  other  food 
is  rejected,  and  serves  to  fill  out  the  bony  outlines  of  an 
emaciated  human  frame  better  than  anything  else.  The 
clean  white  loaves  can  be  easily  exported,  and  are  very 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND  ITS   CONNECTIONS.        33 

attractive.  Fine  oranges  we  bought  from  a  tree  in  the 
yard  of  our  cassava-maker  at  ten  for  a  medio  (five 
cents). 

The  fine  view  from  the  fort  can  be  seen  in  the  illus- 
tration ;  but  as  Frank  and  I  stepped  over  the  low  wall 
and  set  up  the  camera  to  photograph  it,  we  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  officer  in  charge,  who  at  once  ordered  us 
to  come  to  him.  A  convenient  temporary  ignorance  of 
Spanish  delayed  us  until  the  view  was  secured  and  a 
squad  of  soldiers  sent  to  arrest  us,  when  the  officer 
wanted  to  know  what  we  were  "  telegraphing  in  the  fort 
for."  With  a  very  few  words  I  exposed  his  ignorance  to 
his  soldiers,  who  laughed  as  heartily  at  him  as  if  they 
had  not  been  quite  as  stupid  as  he ;  and  he  begged  us  to 
leave  at  once.  Of  this  same  garrison  it  is  related  that 
some  years  ago  a  French  corvette  anchored  off  the  point 
and  fired  a  salute.  The  first  gun  was  all  right ;  but  the 
second  astonished  the  valiant  soldiers,  and  at  the  third 
they  all  threw  down  their  guns  and  fled  to  the  bush,  fully 
convinced  that  an  attack  on  the  village  was  intended. 
After  a  while  boys  were  sent  out  into  the  woods  to  tell 
these  warriors  that  it  was  safe  to  come  home.  The  light- 
house here,  which  all  incoming  vessels  are  taxed  to  main- 
tain, consists  of  a  stout  pole ;  but  the  lantern  has  been 
broken,  and  not  replaced. 

Below  this  military  post  is  the  usual  landing-place  for 
canoas.  These  are  nearly  all  dug  out  of  single  mahogany 
or  cedar  logs,  and  are  not  only  well  made,  but  of  good 
form.  Some  are  forty  feet  long  and  six  feet  wide.  The 
paddles  were  of  mahogany,  and  the  women  paddled  as 
well  and  powerfully  as  the  men  ;  both,  indeed,  seemed 
to  be  quite  at  home  on  the  water. 

3 


34  GUATEMALA. 

Some  of  the  incoming  canoes  were  laden  with  coco- 
nuts, others  with  bananas  and  plantains  from  the  little 
fincas  along  the  coast,  and  yet  others  with  fish.  The 
last  we  noted  more  carefully,  as  there  is  no  fish-market 
in  Livingston,  and  the  fish  are  always  interesting  to  a 
stranger  ;  for  odd  and  various  as  may  be  the  fruits  of  a 
new  clime,  the  produce  of  the  sea  generally  surpasses 
that  of  the  land  in  curious  forms.  There  were  some  of 
the  oddest  of  the  Central  American  waters  ;  and  the  man 
who  first  ate  them  must  have  been  very  brave  or  very 
hungry.  One  of  them  had  flesh  resembling  beef  in  color, 
and  good  and  substantial  when  cooked. 

Paths  about  the  town  are  narrow  and  grass-grown,  and 
the  hooked  seeds  of  a  Desmodium  cling  to  the  clothes. 
and  the  thorns  of  the  sensitive-plant  {Mimosa  pudicans) 
scratch  the  bare  feet  of  the  passer  ;  but  worse  than  all 
these,  in  the  grass  are  tiny  insects  called  coloradia, 
which  bite  the  ankles  and  other  exposed  parts,  causing 
red  spots  and  an  intolerable  itching,  —  easily  allayed, 
however,  by  salt-water  or  bay-rum  applications.  Mos- 
quitoes were  not  troublesome,  and  we  used  no  nettings ; 
nor  did  we  see  any  house-flies. 

A  bath  in  the  Rio  Dulce  was  tempered  by  the  dread  of 
sharks  ;  and  refreshing  as  the  sweet  water  was.  there 
was  a  self-congratulatory  feeling  on  getting  safely  back 
to  the  huge  square-hewn  mahogany  logs  that  served  for 
dressing-room. 

To  the  outward  world  Livingston  is  principally  inter- 
esting as  the  free  port  of  Guatemala,  —  the  outlet  of  the 
coffee  of  Alta  Verapaz  and  the  fruits  of  the  Atlantic 
coast-region.  In  its  early  history  it  was  a  settlement  of 
Caribs,  —  those  splendid  negroes  who  were  driven  from 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND  ITS   CONNECTIONS.         35 

the  islands  of  the  sea,  which  still  bear  their  name,  when 
the  Spaniards  enslaved  or  destroyed  their  fellow-owners  of 
the  land.  Its  situation  at  the  entrance  of  the  chief  water- 
way to  the  interior  and  the  capital  soon  marked  it  for  a 
Spanish  post ;  but  the  buccaneers  were  too  powerful,  and 
before  their  advance  the  port  of  entry  was  moved  far  up 
the  Rio  Dulce  to  Izabal,  on  the  lake  of  that  name,  — the 
fort  of  San  Felipe  blocking  the  way  to  these  lawless  ene- 
mies. Not  only  pirates,  but  the  Home  Government  has- 
tened the  decay  and  disuse  of  this  port,  and  the  banks  of  the 
Rio  Dulce  were  of  little  importance,  except  to  the  mahog- 
any-cutters and  sarsaparilla-gatherers,  for  two  centuries. 

An  enlightened  Government,  in  fostering  the  immense 
agricultural  wealth  of  Guatemala,  turned  the  attention  of 
foreign  capital,  first  to  the  rich  coffee-lands  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Coban,  and  later  to  the  even  richer  fruit-lands 
of  the  valleys  east  of  the  high  table-lands  of  the  interior. 
The  outlet  for  all  the  produce  was  by  the  Polochic,  and 
the  shipping-port  was  Livingston  ;  so  the  little  village 
built  by  the  exiled  Caribals  (cannibals)  has' been  gradually 
occupied  by  business  men  of  various  nations,  until  now 
the  population  may  be  nearly  two  thousand.  The  shores 
are  high  and  healthful,  and  the  anchorage  within  the 
river  is  secure.  Dredging  would  easily  open  a  channel, 
and  jetties  like  those  placed  in  the  Mississippi  by  Captain 
Eads  would  doubtless  keep  the  way  open ;  for  the  current 
is  frequently  very  strong,  but  now  wastes  its  strength 
over  a  mile  of  shoal-water.  At  present  all  the  ocean 
steamers  lie  at  anchor  outside ;  and  consequently  the 
lighterage  is  an  important  business.     " 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  this  port,  and  acces- 
sible by  water,  are  lands  pre-eminently  adapted  for  sugar 


36  GUATEMALA. 

or  cotton  cultivation ;  although  now,  owing  to  the  smaller 
capital  required,  and  speedier  returns,  bananas  and  plan- 
tains are  the  chief  products.  The  Government  deter- 
mined to  develop  these  lands,  —  which  have  hitherto 
been  left  to  the  solitude  of  their  dense  forests  and  the 
occasional  intrusion  of  the  mahogany-cutter,  —  and  in 
1882  declared  Livingston  a  free  port,  including  in  its 
territory  a  large  triangular  part  of  the  eastern  coast. 
The  public  lands  were  then  offered  for  sale  at  reasonable 
rates  ;  and  in  consequence,  several  capitalists  from  the 
United  States  have  purchased  large  tracts,  and  are  cul- 
tivating soil  perhaps  the  most  fertile  on  the  continent- 
Climatic  changes  are  insensible  here,  and  it  may  truly 
be  said  that  the  one  season  is  summer.  Never  has  yel- 
low fever  or  other  dangerous  zymotic  disease  visited 
Livingston,  and  the  death-rate  is  about  one  quarter  that 
of  Boston.  The  rapid  increase  of  its  population  and 
commercial  importance  will  make  imperative  the  demand 
for  improved  harbor  and  wharf  facilities. 

Ten  miles  to  the  south  of  Livingston  is  the  fine  harbor 
of  Santo  Tomas,  where  in  1843  a  Belgian  colony  was  es- 
tablished ;  and  as  this  unfortunate  attempt  has  given  an 
ill  reputation  to  all  Central  America,  it  is  well  to  state 
that  failure  was  by  no  means  clue  to  the  insalubrity  of 
the  climate,  but  to  the  want  of  foresight  of  the  projectors 
and  the  abject  ignorance  of  tropical  trials  on  the  part  of 
the  immigrants.  Landed  in  an  unaccustomed  climate,  in 
the  wet  season,  without  shelter,  and  inadequately  pro- 
visioned, they  lost  heart,  health,  or  life  itself. 

Pioneers  and  frontiersmen  should  not  be  recruited 
from  shops  and  counters.  The  pluck  and  caution  needed 
for  a  struggle  with  untried  conditions,  the  determination 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS.        37 

to  be  content  with  slim  comforts  and  undaunted  in  the 
face  of  every  discouragement,  looking  always  to  the  final 
result,  experience  shows  cannot  be  found  in  this  class. 
They  do  well  enough  as  eleventh-hour  assistants,  when 
the  strong  men  have  felled  the  forest  and  broken  the 
ground  and  built  houses  and  shops  for  these  weaker  but 
still  useful  brothers ;  but  the  first  colonists  must  be  of 
sterner  stuff.  Probably,  had  shelter  and  good  food  been 
provided  for  those  inexperienced  Belgians,  there  would 
have  been  at  Santo  Tomas  something  more  to-day  than 
the  memory  of  their  visit. 

In  1881  the  little  town  contained  but  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  inhabitants,  mostly  fishermen ;  but  the  con- 
struction of  the  Ferro-carril  del  Norte,  to  connect  the 
capital  with  the  Atlantic,  changed  for  a  time  the  sleepy 
hamlet  into  the  busy  haunt  of  contractors  and  laborers. 
The  exigencies  of  the  railroad  calling  for  the  deepest 
water,  however,  the  new  town  of  Port  Barrios  has  been 
founded,  some  three  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the  ancient 
village.  Curiously  enough,  the  Bay  of  Santo  Tomas  has 
no  river  ;  but  it  lies  between  the  Rio  Dulce  and  the 
Motagua. 

From  Livingston  to  New  Orleans  the  distance  is  900 
miles ;  to  Belize,  125 ;  to  Kingston,  Jamaica,  800 ;  to 
Puerto  Cortez  (Caballos),  55  ;  to  Izabal,  45  ;  to  Pansos, 
00 ;  and  to  Guatemala  City  (water  to  Izabal,  and  mule- 
path  thence),  120.  The  usual  steamer  time  from  New 
Orleans  is  six  days,  including  a  stop  of  two  days  at 
Belize ;  from  New  York,  ten  days,  including  stops  at 
Kingston  and  Belize ;  and  three  days  should  be  ample  to 
New  Orleans,  seven  to  New  York,  and  eight  to  Boston. 
A  glance  at  a  map  will  show  that  the  course  as  well  as 


38  GUATEMALA. 

the  distance  between  Livingston  and  New  York  is  much 
in  favor  of  that  route  over  the  better-known  one  from 
Aspinwall  to  the  metropolis ;  and  when  to  this  saving 
of  time  and  avoidance  of  the  dangers  of  navigation  is 
added  the  greater  facilities  for  raising  and  shipping  fruit 
which  Livingston  is  now  developing,  there  is  great  proba- 
bility that  New  Orleans  will  not  long  be  allowed  to  absorb 
all  the  bananas,  plantains,  and  pines,  or  England  all  the 
coffee  and  mahogany,  shipped  at  Livingston. 

The  natural  advantages  of  a  port  and  the  conveniences 
of  trade  between  that  and  other  countries  are  of  small 
moment  if  there  is  nothing  beyond  the  port;  and  one  must 
look  well  into  the  interior  of  the  country  to  see  its  pov- 
erty or  richness.  Before  crossing  the  republic,  the  fruit- 
lands  of  Livingston  are  worthy  of  exploration.  The  little 
plantations  at  Cocali,  on  the  coast  northward,  and  those 
along  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Dulce,  are  easily  seen,  and  in 
their  present  condition  offer  nothing  new  or  especially 
interesting.  Bananas  and  plantains  are  almost  the  only 
product  of  commercial  importance  ;  for  the  pines  grow 
wild,  cassava,  bread-fruit,  mangoes,  and  sapotes  are  not 
exported,  and  the  coconut  is  native  on  the  shores. 

No  systematic  cultivation  is  known  in  this  region,  and 
the  crops  grow  very  much  as  they  did  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden.  Plantation-work  consists  of  clearing  the  land  of 
forest  (which  is  done  in  January  and  February),  allowing 
the  felled  trees  to  dry.  burning  in  May,  and  planting  in 
June.  No  plough  ever  furrows  the  rich  ground,  and  the 
hoe  is  sufficient  for  the  planter  s  needs,  while  most  handy 
for  the  laborers.  As  may  be  supposed,  the  labor  of  keep- 
ing the  crops  clear  of  weeds  is  considerable,  but  not  so 
great  as  on  our  Northern  farms ;  for  although  the  vege- 


THE   ATLANTIC    COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS.         39 

table  growth  is  very  rapid,  the  country  is  as  yet  free  from 
foreign  weeds.  With  us  the  most  rapidly  growing  and 
pernicious  weeds  have  all  been  imported;  and  on  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  the  vegetable  growths  that  have  laid 
waste  thousands  of  acres  of  the  best  pasturage  are  the 
lantana,  verbena,  and  indigo,  not  one  of  them  indigenous. 
In  the  course  of  years  cultivation  may  bring  these  agri- 
cultural curses ;  but  at  present  the  Guatemalan  planter  in 
Livingston  has  only  palms,  canes,  ferns,  ginger,  and  other 
easily  eradicated  plants  to  contend  with. 

Indian  corn  (maiz)  is  planted  in  slight  holes  made  with 
a  stick  and  covered  with  the  foot,  and  seed  planted  on 
Thursday  has  been  found  four  inches  high  on  the  follow- 
ing Monday.  The  stalks  are  sometimes  seventeen  feet 
high,  and  average  three  ears  each ;  only  ninety  days  are 
required  to  mature  the  crop,  which  is  gathered  three  times 
each  year.  Upland  rice  is  scattered  broadcast  on  the  soil, 
and  the  straw  grows  six  feet  high,  with  generous  heads, 
yielding  the  finest  rice  known ;  two  crops  can  be  raised 
each  year.  Sugar-cane  has  been  found  to  yield  three  tons 
of  sugar  per  acre  for  twenty  years  without  replanting,  — 
a  result  unknown  in  any  other  sugar-country.  At  present 
there  are  no  mills  in  eastern  Guatemala,  and  only  enough 
cane  is  planted  to  supply  the  demand  for  eating,  or  rather 
chewing. 

Bananas  have  within  the  last  ten  years  become  very 
common  all  over  the  United  States,  and  every  one  is  fa- 
miliar with  the  imported  varieties  ;  but  few  are  aware  that 
the  varieties  grown  in  the  tropics  exceed  two  hundred, 
many  of  them  too  delicate  to  bear  transportation,  and  as 
far  superior  to  the  common  sorts  as  a  choice  table-apple 
surpasses  the  cider-apple  of  our  New  England  pastures. 


40  GUATEMALA. 

The  kinds  of  banana  most  raised  near  Livingston  are  the 
same  as  those  of  Aspinwall ;  but  the  quality  is  superior. 
Plantains  are  grown  even  more  commonly  than  bananas, 
and  the  domestic  consumption  is  much  greater.  Among 
Northern  fruit-dealers  the  banana  and  plantain  are  fre- 
quently confounded ;  but  they  are  as  different  as  pears 
and  apples.  To  grow  either,  simply  requires  planting  of 
suckers,  which  in  nine  months  should  bear  a  bunch  of 
fruit.  The  stem  is  now  cut  down,  and  from  its  base 
sprout  several  suckers,  all  over  three  being  removed  for 
planting  elsewhere.  It  is  only  necessary  to  remove  the 
finished  stem  and  extra  suckers  to  insure  crops  for  a 
long  series  of  years.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to  use 
the  valuable  fibre,  of  which  there  is  an  average  of  three 
pounds  to  a  stalk. 

When  we  turn  from  what  is  clone  here  to  the  consider- 
ation of  what  may  be,  the  interest  vastly  increases ;  and 
to  this  end  let  the  reader  join  us  in  an  exploration  of  one 
of  the  rivers  flowing  from  a  valley  of  great  extent  and 
unrivalled  fertility,  but  covered  with  forest,  and  unknown 
save  to  the  mahogany-cutters  and  an  occasional  hunts- 
man. The  Rio  Chocon  is  almost  unnoticed  on  the  maps, 
and  its  source  unknown  ;  but  it  probably  rises  in  the 
Santa  Cruz  mountains. 

In  the  middle  of  October,  1883,  the  "  Progreso "  was 
manned  and  provisioned,  and  in  the  early  afternoon  we 
were  on  board  waiting  for  the  sea-breeze  to  help  us  up  the 
river.  The  light  wind  served  to  carry  us  across  the  Rio 
Dulce,  but  no  more ;  and  anchoring,  we  sent  three  men 
ashore  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  plantains,  bananas,  coconuts, 
and  sugar-cane.  Travelling  in'  the  tropics  is  usually  far 
from  luxurious ;  and  our  present  outfit  was  no  exception 


THE   ATLANTIC    COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS. 


41 


to  the  rule.  Our  captain  had  provided  a  Jamaica  negro 
for  cook,  Santiago,  a  half-breed,  for  montero,  or  guide  in 
the  forest,  and  our  crew  consisted  of  Guillermo,  an  attrac- 
tive looking  but  bad  boy,  who  was  always  singing  about 
his  corazon  (heart),  Francisco,  and  two  other  men,  whose 
exact  ethnological  classification  was  a  puzzle.  Our  cook, 
his  oil-stove  and  canned  provisions  filled  the  little  cabin  ; 
but  the  cock-pit  was  large,  and  Frank  shared  with  me 
one  side,  while  the  captain  occupied  the  other,  and  at 
night  we  had  a  canvas  awning  over  the  whole.  Folding- 
chairs served  for  beds  as  well,  and  our  traps  were  put  into 
the  capital  water-proof  baskets  called  petdcas. 


Entrance  to  the   Rio   Dulce. 


Later  than  usual  the  breeze  freshened,  and  we  were 
sailing  apparently  for  the  spur  of  San  Gil,  which  stretches 
northward  right  across  the  river.  As  we  advanced,  the 
walls  opened,  and  we  entered  a  gorge  far  finer  than  that 


42  GUATEMALA. 

of  the  Saguenay ;  for  the  savage  cliffs  of  the  wild  Cana- 
dian stream  are  here  replaced  by  white  limestone  preci- 
pices jealously  covered  with  palms  and  vines,  until  only 
here  and  there  could  the  rock  be  seen  under  or  through 
its  richly  colored  mantle.  The  river  is  deep,  in  places 
eighteen  fathoms,  and,  except  in  the  overhanging  trees, 
there  was  no  place  to  land  on  either  side  for  some 
distance. 

Frank  shot  at  a  fine  ]3elican,  but  only  broke  a  wing ; 
and  although  he  pursued  the  wounded  bird  rapidly  in  a 
little  cayuco  that  we  had  in  tow,  he  did  not  gain  on  the 
powerful  swimmer  until  a  shot  from  the  "  Progreso " 
killed  the  fugitive,  whose  remains  measured  seven  feet 
across  the  wings.  Other  birds  tempted  us,  but  the  fast- 
waning  daylight  warned  us  against  delay ;  and  as  dark- 
ness fell  upon  us  with  tropical  rapidity,  we  came  to  the 
lake-like  Golfete,  nine  miles  from  Livingston,  and  an- 
chored for  the  night  off  Cayo  Paloma  (Dove  Island),  the 
only  inhabited  spot  on  the  river.  Our  crew  went  ashore 
for  shelter,  and  we  retired  under  our  substantial  awning, 
which  protected  us  from  the  rain  which  fell  in  torrents 
during  the  night.  We  had  found  no  mosquitoes  at  Liv- 
ingston, and  there  were  none  here ;  so  our  sleep  was  not 
broken  until  our  boys  came  on  board  before  daybreak. 
Where  we  had  entered  this  beautiful  lake  we  strangers 
did  not  know ;  and  even  when  the  direction  was  ascer- 
tained, the  opening  of  the  river  was  invisible.  Coconut- 
palms  and  bananas  will  give  a  charm  to  any  landscape ; 
yet  the  little  Cayo  Paloma  hardly  needed  them,  so 
beautiful  was  it  in  itself. 

Grand  San  Gil  brushed  the  clouds  from  his  forehead 
and   looked    down    smilingly  upon    us    in   promise  of    a 


THE   ATLANTIC    COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS.        43 

fair  day  as  we  sailed  up  the  Golfete.  A  short  league 
brought  us  to  a  curious  limestone  rock  on  the  northern 
shore,  —  a  regular  cube,  rising  from  deep  water,  and 
capped  with  a  pyramid  of  foliage.  So  unusual  a  forma- 
tion could  hardly  have  failed  to  attract  the  aboriginal 
mind ;  and  there  may  be  on  the  summit  some  remains,  — 
a  sacrificial  altar,  or  stele.  We  did  not  go  near  enough 
to  see  any  way  of  access ;  but  the  branches  seem  to  hang 
low  enough  on  one  side  to  promise  an  entrance  to  an 
active  climber,  and  we  determined  to  try  it  some  other 
day  when  we  had  more  time.1 

If  the  entrance  to  the  Rio  Dulce  was  well  concealed, 
that  to  the  Rio  Chocon  was  still  harder  to  find ;  and  but 
for  the  rock  island,  one  might  try  several  apparent  open- 
ings in  the  hedge-like  border  of  the  stream  before  enter- 
ing the  canal  that  sweeps  in  a  semicircle  into  the  actual 
river.  Two  alligators  sat,  like  the  porters  at  an  Egyp- 
tian palace,  opposite  each  other  at  the  entrance,  but 
dropped  incontinently  into  the  stream  before  our  rifles 
were  ready,  —  giving  us  an  unpleasant  reminder  of  what 
we  might  expect  should  we  take  a  bath  in  the  cool  river. 
From  animal  to  vegetable  was  but  a  glance ;  and  the 
musky  odor  of  the  reptiles  faded  into  the  fragrance  of 
a  large  purple  passion-flower,  which  hung  so  low  that 
we  slipped  into  the  cayuco,  Frank  and  I,  and  paddled 
from  bank  to  bank  in  the  little  mahogany  dug-out,  pull- 
ing down  branches  and  vines,  shaking  out  lizards  and 
beetles,  while  humming-birds  of  almost  every  bright 
color,  and  butterflies  of  hues  seldom  seen  in  cooler  cli- 
mates, would  hardly  leave  the  fragrant  flowers  we  gath- 

1  Another  year  we  climbed  the  rock  and  found  several  interesting  plants, 
but  no  human  remains. 


44  GUATEMALA. 

ered.  Nothing  could  be  seen  beyond  the  river,  for  we 
were  in  a  green  lane  bordered  by  all  the  tropics  can 
produce  of  vegetable  life  ;  and  as  the  day  wore  on  we 
felt  the  weariness  of  seeing.  A  little  white  passion- 
flower (P.  Brighami),  with  curiously  clipped  leaves,  three 
kinds  of  morning-glory,  a  crimson  abutilon,  and  a  host 
of  plants  whose  family  alone  was  known  to  us,  had  been 
consigned  to  the  plant-press.  At  first  there  were  no 
palms  ;  but  as  we  ascended  the  stream,  which  was  in 
flood,  the  banks  at  last  appeared,  growing  gradually 
higher,  and  only  on  solid  ground  could  the  palms  find 
foothold.  The  cohune  (Attalea  cohune),  with  its  long 
clusters  of  hard  oily  nuts,  came  first ;  then  a  small  pin- 
nate-leaved, graceful,  but  unknown  species  ;  then  an 
astrocarya,  with  dreadful  spines  and  hard  but  edible 
nuts ;  and  finally,  on  the  rocky  banks,  slender,  long- 
stemmed  species,  and  a  climbing  palm  that,  like  the  rat- 
tan, attained  a  length  of  several  hundred  feet.  Our  first 
glimpse  of  the  family  in  full  force  was  at  the  junction  of 
the  two  mouths  of  the  Chocon.  Here  there  is  an  en- 
largement of  the  river  into  a  lagoon,  and  the  eastern 
branch  looks  as  large  and  easily  navigable  as  that  we  had 
entered.  At  another  time  we  found  this  was  the  case. 
Bambus  bent  their  graceful  stems  in  clusters  over  the 
water,  and  here  and  there  tall  reeds  in  blossom  waved 
their  light  plumes  against  the  dark-green  trees  behind 
them. 

With  the  drift  floating  down  stream  we  noticed  queer 
green  things  which  were  evidently  vegetable ;  but  what 
else  ?  At  last  we  came  to  some  sapoton-trees  (JPachira) ; 
and  it  was  their  fruit,  now  ripening,  —  like  in  size  and 
appearance    to    a  husked   coconut.  —  that   furnished   our 


THE  ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS  CONNECTIONS.        45 

puzzle.  The  fruits  split  while  on  the  tree,  and  drop  the 
nuts,  which  are  about  as  large  as  a  hen's  egg,  into  the 
water,  where  they  soon  germinate,  and  float  about  with 
expanded  cotyledons  until  caught  on  some  shoal,  or  at 
the  bank,  where  they  take  root. 

Not  once  all  day  did  we  see  a  place  to  land ;  indeed, 
until  we  had  ascended  the  river  several  miles  there  was 
no  land,  so  high  was  the  flood.  Dense  foliage,  suitably 
defended  with  spines  of  palm  and  the  no  less  unpleasant 
thorns  of  the  guilanclina  and  sarsaparilla,  hid  what  might 
be  disagreeable  of  animal  life  along  shore ;  and  as  we 
could  not  land,  neither  could  we  plunge  into  the  cool 
river,  —  that  was  already  engaged  by  the  alligators. 

As  the  sun  dropped  behind  the  trees  we  made  fast  to 
a  large  post  in  midstream,  starting  a  whole  family  of 
little  leaf -nosed  bats  out  of  a  woodpecker's  hole  in  this 
dead  tree ;  and  as  our  comida  was  being  laid,  I  explored 
more  carefully  this  curious  mooring.  Water-logged  and 
stranded  on  the  bottom,  some  twenty  feet  below  us,  it 
was  a  perfect  image  of  life  in  death  ;  for  every  part 
above  the  water  was  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth 
not  its  own,  and  yet  perfectly  in  place.  On  one  side 
clung  three  different  orchids  in  seed,  a  cluster  of  pepero- 
mias  in  blossom,  and  a  fine  cereus,  while  mosses  and 
ferns  quite  covered  the  interstices.  We  did  not  at  that 
time  know  the  naughty  habits  of  the  bright  little  bats,1 

1  These  were  vampire  bats  (Phyllostoma  sjj.)  ;  and  several  times  afterwards 
we  saw  cattle  that  had  been  so  severely  bitten  that  the  blood  was  still  dripping 
from  their  shoulders  the  next  morning.  These  little  fellows  are  about  the 
size  of  an  English  sparrow;  and  yet  they  do  as  much  harm  as  their  much  larger 
relatives  of  South  America.  They  have  ventured  into  our  sleeping-room  at 
Livingston;  but  would  generally  awaken  us  by  brushing  our  faces  with  their 
wings,  — perhaps  because  our  feet  (the  part  they  usually  attack)  were  covered. 


46  GUATEMALA. 

or  we  should  not  have  slept  so  quietly ;  as  it  was,  the 
mosquitoes    were    very    thick,    and    only    our    veils   pro- 

t  ret  i'(l    US. 

It  was  a  strange  bed-chamber.  The  river,  black  be- 
neath and  around  us,  was  silent  enough;  for  the  current 
hardly  rippled  against  our  boat,  no  wind  moved  the 
leaves,  and  only  our  own  voices  broke  the  stillness  while 
we  waited  for  sleep.  Suddenly  a  sound  between  a  shriek 
and  a  roar  burst  almost  over  our  heads.  "  Tigre,"  mut- 
tered Frank  as  he  felt  for  his  rifle.  It  was  only  a  lion- 
bird  ;  but  its  terrible  cry  was  repeated  until  it  seemed  to 
awake  all  the  nocturnal  noises  of  the  forests  that  stretched 
for  fifty  miles  around  us.  Howling  monkeys  (Mycetes 
ursinus),  a  shrill  water-bird,  hooting  owls,  were  all  easily 
distinguished  by  our  montero ;  and  we  slept  more  tran- 
quilly after  his  explanation,  even  though  we  thought  we 
felt  the  rough  back  of  an  alligator  scrape  the  bottom 
of  our  boat.  I  have  heard  the  real  tiger's  howl  in  the 
Sumatran  jungle ;  but  it  was  not  so  terrible  as  this 
wretched  bird,  nor  are  the  tropical  nocturnal  noises  so 
loud  and  various  in  any  other  place  where  I  have  been. 

So  far  the  country  through  which  we  passed  was  worth- 
less for  agricultural  purposes ;  but  early  the  next  morning 
we  came  to  an  elevated  limestone  ridge,  and  beyond  this 
outwork  the  banks  grew  sensibly  higher,  until  they  were 
some  twelve  feet  above  the  present  high  water.  With 
the  higher  banks  appeared  the  iguanas ;  and  I  made  my 
first  shot,  —  a  large  female. —  which  was  picked  up,  while 
three  others  fell  into  the  water  and  sank  before  we  could 
reach  them.  It  was  some  time  before  I  learned  to  dis- 
tinguish these  reptiles ;  for  they  are  nearly  of  the  color  of 
the  branches  on  which  they  bask,  and  until  they  move, 


THE   ATLANTIC    COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS. 


47 


are  to  the  unpractised  eye  only  a  part  of  the  bewildering 
foliage.  I  did  not  like  to  be  told  where  to  look,  so  be- 
fore the  day  was  half  gone  I  could  see  an  iguana  as  soon 
as  a  native. 


Female   Iguanas. 

A  mouth  like  a  toad's,  green,  glittering  eyes,  a  large 
pendulous  dewlap,  a  row  of  lancet-shaped  spines  down 
the  back,  slender  claws,  and  a  long,  pointed  tail,  certainly 
are  not  features  to  make  the  iguana  an  attractive  pet ; 
and  yet  it  is  gentle,  easily  tamed,  and  there  are  people 
who  enjoy  its  company.  Let  not  the  Northern  ladies 
shudder  as  they  look  on  this  picture ;  for  do  they  not 
know,  are  there  not  among  their  number  those  who 
fondle  and  kiss(!)  even  the  deformed  pugs  and  lap-dogs  ? 
Unlike  the  worthless  curs,  the  iguana  is  a  most  excel- 
lent food-animal ;  its  delicate  white  meat  is  not  unlike 
chicken,  and  the  eggs  —  of  which  the  female  lays  five  or 


48  GUATEMALA. 

six  dozen  —  are  all  yolk,  and  very  delicious.1  Being  good 
swimmers,  they  drop  from  their  perches  over  the  river 
when  alarmed,  and  after  a  fall  sometimes  of  sixty  to 
eighty  feet  the  splash  is  suggestive  of  broken  ribs,  or  at 
least  a  total  loss  of  wind;  but  they  scramble  nimbly  up 
the  banks  under  the  overhanging  shrubs,  and  are  lost  in 
the  forest.  Like  the  chameleon,  they  change  color,  and 
from  green  of  various  hues  become  greenish  gray  when 
taken  from  the  trees.  We  had  much  less  difficulty  than 
Columbus  and  his  companions  experienced  in  adding  these 
"  serpentes  "  to  our  cosmopolitan  bill  of  fare. 

In  the  afternoon  a  boom  across  the  river  showed  the 
neighborhood  of  mahogany-cutters,  and  a  short  row 
above  this  brought  us  to  the  head  of  navigation  for  our 
large  boat,  and  we  made  fast  to  a  tree  on  the  right  bank, 
where  there  was  no  clearing  nor  any  easy  way  to  land, 
although  we  could  see  that  the  banks  were  some  ten  feet 
above  the  water,  and  steep.  Leaving  the  ^  Progreso  "  in 
the  cook's  charge,  we  continued  up  stream  in  the  little 
cayuco  until  we  broke  a  paddle  and  had  to  return,  —  not, 
however,  until  we  had  made  two  landings. 

Once  up  the  steep  and  slippery  bank,  we  found  the 
land  level,  and  in  the  dense  forest  there  was  no  under- 
growth.      It    always    seems    odd    to    a    stranger    in    the 


1  ': These  serpentes  are  lyke  unto  crocodiles,  saving  in  bigness;  they  call 
them  guanas.  Unto  that  day  none  of  owre  men  durste  aduenture  to  taste  of 
them,  by  reason  of  theyre  horrible  delbrmitie  and  lothsomnes.  Vet  the  Ad- 
elantado  being  entysed  by  the  pleasantnea  of  the  king's  sister,  Anacaona,  deter- 
mined to  taste  the  serpentes.  But  when  he  felte  the  flesh  thereof  to  be  so 
delycate  to  his  tongue,  he  fel  to  amayne  without  al  feare.  The  which  thyng 
his  companions  perceiuing,  were  not  behynde  hym  in  greedyness;  insomuch 
that  they  had  now  none  other  talke  than  of  the  sweetnesse  of  these  serpentes, 
which  they  affirm  to  be  of  more  pleasant  taste  than  eyther  our  phesantes  or 
partriches."  —  Peter  Martyr,  decad.  i.  book  v.  (Eden's  English  translation). 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS.        49 

tropics,  —  this  entire  absence  of  sod ;  but  so  dense  is  the 
upper  foliage  that  there  is  no  chance  for  small  plants 
below,  except  such  as  can,  like  the  sarsaparilla,  climb 
up  into  the  light  above,  or  orchids,  like  the  vanilla, 
which  cling  to,  if  they  do  not  draw  a  part  of  their  sus- 
tenance from,  the  tree-stems.  The  cohune  palm  (Attalea 
cohune,  Martius.)  was  abundant,  and  by  its  presence  con- 
firmed the  testimony  of  the  dark  chocolate  soil  to  the 
exceeding  fertility  of  the  land.  This  palm  seems  to  have 
three  names  applied  to  as  many  stages  of  growth.  When 
young  and  stemless,  it  is  manaca ;  in  middle  age,  when 
the  bases  of  the  old  leaves  still  cling  to  the  trunk,  it  is 
cohune ;  and  when  age  removes  these  scales,  the  smooth 
stem  is  corbzo.  I  have  never  seen  the  manaca  in  flower  or 
fruit,  but  I  believe  the  three  are  but  one  species.  Other 
palms  were  intermingled  with  these,  —  some  in  blossom, 
some  in  fruit,  —  but  none  so  common  nor  so  large,  both 
in  stem  and  leaf.  Later  on  we  shall  see  a  picture  of  the 
cohune  and  its  very  valuable  fruit. 

In  one  place  along  the  bank  I  measured  fourteen  feet  of 
soil  of  the  best  quality ;  nor  was  this  surprising,  since  the 
valley  through  which  the  Rio  Chocon  flows  is  a  catch-basin 
for  the  detritus  of  the  limestone  ranges  of  the  Sarstun  and 
Santa  Cruz  mountains,  and  its  form  guards  against  tor- 
rential floods  which  might  wash  away  the  rich  deposit. 
When  the  summer  rains  flood  the  banks,  as  we  found 
later,  the  water  subsides  in  a  few  hours,  owing  to  the 
wide-open  lower  course  of  the  river. 

A  gigantic  ceiba-tree  (Eriodendron)  stood  not  far  from 
the  river,  and  two  of  its  great  buttresses  enclosed  a  semi- 
circle thirty  feet  in  diameter,  while  the  projections  them- 
selves were  not  half  a  foot  thick.     Trees  of  very  various 

4 


50 


GUATEMALA. 


kinds  throw  out  these   supports.      I  have  even  seen  a 
goyava  (Psidium),  which  usually  has  a  rather  slender 


Barbecue   at   Benito. 


trunk,   expand  most  astonishingly  into  these  buttresses 
when    growing   in   a  rich  loose    soil.     It   will,   not   un- 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS.        51 

naturally,  occur  to  the  reader  that  this  must  greatly  in- 
crease the  difficulty  of  felling  such  trees  in  clearing  land. 
The  difficulty  is  met  by  the  woodmen  in  this  way.  A  plat- 
form —  called,  strangely  enough,  a  "  barbecue  "  —  is  built 
of  slim  poles,  often  to  a  height  of  fifteen  feet ;  and  balanced 
on  these  frail  supports,  the  cutter  swings  his  long-handled 
axe.  Of  course  he  leaves  a  stump  as  high  as  his  barbecue  ; 
but  the  ants  (comajen)  soon  reduce  this  to  dust.  I  have 
since  then  watched  the  cutters,  and  have  wondered  how 
they  so  speedily  fell  (they  call  it  "fall")  a  hard-wood  tree, 
with  no  better  vantage  than  two  poles  for  their  bare  feet 
to  cling  to. 

All  through  the  forest  there  was  a  close,  damp  feeling, 
and  in  some  places  there  was  little  light.  We  saw  sarsa- 
parilla,  india-rubber,  vanilla,  and  cacao  growing  wild,  and 
every  step  brought  some  new  thing  to  view ;  but  it  was 
less  oppressive  on  the  river,  where  there  was  sky  above  us 
of  the  true  blue,  —  so  much  better  to  our  tastes  than  the 
green  canopy  that  met  our  eyes  as  we  looked  up  on  land. 
While  on  the  river,  we  saw  some  curious  long-legged 
spiders,  seemingly  plastered  against  the  white  limestone  ;. 
and  they  were  very  unwilling  to  move  their  legs,  which 
were  two  inches  long.  The  vejucos  from  the  over-hang- 
ing branches  were  very  interesting,  as  these  long,  slender 
rootlets,  if  rootlets  they  be,  hung  sometimes  a  hundred 
feet,  ending  close  to  the  water,  but  not  touching  it  except 
in  flood-time,  nor  do  they,  like  subterranean  roots,  have 
branches  or  fibrous  ends,  although  sometimes  they  seem 
to  be  unravelled  into  separate  strands,  like  a  cord  whose 
form  they  imitate  and  whose  use  they  usurp.  We  often 
pulled  them  and  shook  the  branches  from  which  they 
spring,  without    detaching  them.      The  water  was  now 


52  GUATEMALA. 

clear  and  cool,  and  everything  was  enticing  us  to  loiter ; 
but  the  day  was  closing,  and  comida  awaiting  us  on  the 
"  Prooreso." 

The  moon  that  night  was  full ;  and  with  no  mosquitoes 
in  the  air,  we  hardly  cared  to  creep  under  our  toldo.  The 
light  filtered  through  the  palm-leaves  and  sparkled  on  the 
black  river  as  it  glided  around  the  bend.  We  could  see 
but  a  few  rods  either  up  or  down  stream,  and  we  almost 
wondered  how  we  came  there,  and  should  we  ever  get 
away.  Far  in  the  distance  the  howls  of  the  monkeys  and 
the  cries  of  the  night-birds  broke  the  stillness  around  us ; 
but  we  slept  unconscious  of  the  shower  that  poured  on  our 
toldo  before  morning. 

A  very  bright,  warm  morning  in  the  middle  of  October 
is  not  unpleasant  in  the  temperate  zone  ;  but  here  it  seemed 
almost  too  warm  to  be  seasonable,  although  the  thermome- 
ter persisted  in  indicating  83°.  Five  of  us  were  in  our 
little  cayuco  at  early  dawn  on  our  way  clown  stream. 
The  cayuco  was  not  especially  crank,  but  it  was  loaded  to 
the  water's  edge  with  five  solid  men ;  and  as  my  hands 
grasped  the  gunwales,  my  fingers  dipped  in  water  on  both 
sides.  It  was  impossible  for  me  to  restrain  the  attempt 
to  balance,  which  of  course  kept  the  cayuco  in  a  constant 
quiver,  alike  unpleasant  to  myself  and  my  companions. 
Add  to  this  the  consciousness  that  alligators  were  ready 
for  us  if  we  did  upset,  and  it  will  be  supposed  that  the 
voyage  was  not  altogether  agreeable. 

We  landed  at  last,  and  had  a  hard  scramble  up  the  steep, 
muddy  bank,  as  many  of  the  palms  were  armed  with  spines 
like  needles  (Acrocomia  sp.),  and  there  was  little  else  to 
catch  by.  I  was  on  the  watch  for  snakes,  and  had  my  ma- 
chete in  my  hand ;  but  the.  first  living  denizen  of  the  forest 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS.         53 

that  met  me  was  a  fine  blue  butterfly  (Morpho),  nearly  eight 
inches  across.  I  could  not,  and  Guillermo  would  not,  catch 
it,  because  he  said  it  was  mala  por  los  ojos  (bad  for  the 
eyes).  It  was  a  "  sight  for  sair  e'en."  I  found  this  curious 
superstition  about  butterflies  common  all  through  the  coun- 
try, and  I  confess  that  following  their  brilliantly  colored 
wings  in  their  rapid  flight,  under  a  blazing  sun,  does  give 
one's  eyes  a  very  tired  feeling  that  may  explain  the  origin 
of  the  popular  belief .  I  will  not  compel  any  one  to  follow 
me  through  the  forest,  nor  up  the  steep  limestone  ridges 
where  the  corroded  rock  was  worn  into  fantastic  forms 
and  partly  covered  with  begonias,  lycopodiums,  and  other 
plants.  We  found  several  circular  valleys  among  those 
ridges  drained  by  sink-holes,  and  often  I  heard  water  run- 
ning beneath  my  feet.  In  some  places  were  little  wells, 
like  the  cenotes  of  Yucatan,  containing  fish,  which  pass 
from  one  to  another  by  underground  aqueducts.  Again 
and  again  I  mistook  for  serpents  the  huge,  green,  scaly 
creepers  that  flattened  themselves  against  the  trees  or 
swung  from  the  branches.  Sluggish  and  insignificant 
centipedes  were  not  uncommon  on  the  trees ;  but  noth- 
ing except  tracks  of  wild  hogs,  peccaries,  jaguars,  and 
tapirs  indicated  that  the  forest  was  the  resort  of  trouble- 
some animals.  The  entire  absence  of  any  fallen  or  de- 
caying trees  or  dead  branches  was  a  marked  feature  of 
this  forest.  The  insects  had  eaten  all  this  unpleasant 
matter ;  and  in  one  place  we  saw  a  cavity  as  large  as  a 
barrel,  where  the  ants  had  eaten  a  palm-stump,  leaving 
only  the  fibrous  roots  to  keep  the  earth  in  place  about 
the  large  hole. 

Towards  noon  the  air,  loaded  with  moisture  and  un- 
moved by  any  wind  in  the  forest,  became  almost  unbear- 


54  GUATEMALA. 

able,  and  we  were  parched  with  thirst.  Santiago  came  to 
our  aid  ;  and  selecting  a  rough-looking  vine,  of  which  we 
could  not  see  the  leaves,  cut  from  it  a  length  of  some  three 
feet,  and  from  this  trickled  a  tumblerful  of  clear,  cool, 
tasteless  water.  This  vejuco  tie  agua  was  as  large  as 
a  man's  wrist,  of  tender  substance  and  very  porous.  The 
mozos  declared  that  if  the  vejuco  was 
cut  only  once,  the  juice  would  all  run 
up  from  the  pendent  end ;  so  it  was 
necessary  to  cut  at  once  above,  and 
block  its  retreat.  On  the  palm-trees 
section  of  were   often  found    clusters  of   nuts   of 

Vejuco  de  Agua. 

various  sizes,  some  with  such  hard 
shells  that  even  the  parrots  must  have  been  baffled.  We 
cracked  several  kinds,  and  found  them  more  woody  and 
less  oily  than  the  coconut.  Several  mahogany-trees  came 
in  our  way,  and  they  impressed  me  more  than  the  sequoias 
of  California  or  the  banians  and  baobabs  of  India.  Rising 
with  a  straight  and  uniform  stem  far  above  the  surround- 
ing trees,  they  then  spread  their  dense  foliage  like  a 
massive  oak  above  the  tree-top  plane.  Rosewood,  palo  de 
mulatto,  sapodilla,  ironwood,  and  many  other  kinds  were 
recognized,  and  our  exploration  ended  for  the  day  with  a 
bath  on  board  the  boat,  in  which  we  dashed  the  Cool  river 
water  over  each  other.  The  air  was  86°,  while  the  water 
was  78°.  Our  men  who  had  been  sent  up  stream  to  build 
a  champa,  or  native  house,  returned  to  us  at  sundown  in 
true  monkey  style,  swinging  clown  on  to  the  boat  from  the 
branches  of  the  tree  overhanging  the  "  Progreso."  The  ab- 
sence of  mosquitoes  puzzled  us,  as  it  had  the  night  before. 
After  the  rain  ceased,  the  next  morning  about  seven, 
we  paddled  up  stream  in  the  cayuco.     I  have  never  seen 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS. 


55 


rocks  so  curiously  corroded ;  in  some  places  they  were  like 
fossil  bones  of  mammoth  size,  then  like  battered  capitals 
and  fluted  columns,  always  of  rather  smooth  surface, 
sometimes  quite  perforated.  In  the  hollows  were  ferns, 
selaginellas,  and  sometimes  curious  spiders ;  one  rock 
was  just  like  some  monster  crawling  into  the  river.     On 


Dragon   Rock,   Chocon. 


the  right  bank  several  small  springs  trickled  in,  and  on  the 
other  side  a  swift-flowing  creek  added  materially  to  the 
volume  of  the  river.  Still  we  were  getting  into  shallower 
water,  and  after  passing  in  one  way  and  another  fifteen 
rapids  or  corrientes,  we  came  to  a  huge  tree  that  com- 
pletely blocked  our  way.  With  a  satisfied  feeling,  we  de- 
clined to  drag  our  heavy  cayuco  over,  but  beached  her  on 


56  GUATEMALA. 

a  sand-spit,  and  waited  for  the  return  through  the  forest 
of  part  of  our  men  whom  we  had  sent  to  explore  inland. 
Wild  figs  of  good  size  came  tumbling  into  the  stream  from 
the  trees  above  ;  but  they  were  not  to  our  taste,  although 
Guillermo  said  they  were  eaten  when  ripe.  While  we 
waited,  a  large  canoe  came  down  from  the  mahogany  re- 
gion miles  above,  and  the  three  Caribs  in  it  dragged  it  over 
the  log  with  great  labor.  Besides  their  petacas,  they  had 
mahogany  mortars  for  rice-hulling,  and  mahogany  plat- 
ters. In  the  forest  their  work  is  task-work,  and  they  often 
have  half  the  day  to  themselves ;  in  this  leisure  time  they 
carve  the  rejected  butts  into  various  useful  articles,  which 
they  sell  at  the  Boca,  or  mouth  of  the  river.  As  we  re- 
turned, we  saw  another  use  to  which  the  ever-present 
machete  is  put ;  it  is  in  turn  knife,  axe,  adze,  hammer, 
spoon,  back-scratcher,  shovel,  pump-handle,  door-bolt, 
blind-fastener,  —  and  now  a  fishing-rod  !  Guillermo  ac- 
tually split  the  head  of  a  large  fish  that  was  in  the  shadow 
of  a  rock,  —  a  fish  weighing  some  five  pounds  ! 

In  the  afternoon  we  inspected  the  champa  our  men  had 
been  building.  The  building  process  was  certainly  a  novel 
one.  On  receiving  our  orders,  the  Caribs  held  a  brief  con- 
sultation, chattering  in  their  very  unattractive  language  ; 
while  we  knew  no  more  of  their  talk  than  we  knew  of 
the  intelligent  ants,  who  are  equally  black,  and  hold  their 
consultations  unbeknown  to  us.  The  result  was,  however, 
that  they  separated  and  disappeared  in  the  forest.  Soon 
we  heard  the  blows  of  the  machetes  ;  and  then  they  came 
straggling  back,  two  with  the  ancones  or  main  posts  of 
the  house,  others  with  side-posts,  rafters,  coils  of  vejucos, 
and  bundles  of  manaca-leaves  In  an  incredibly  short 
time  the  frame  was  tied  together.    The  thatching  with  the 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND  ITS   CONNECTIONS.         57 

palm-leaves  took  longer,  as  it  was  necessary  to  split  each 
of  the  immense  leaves,  which  were  quite  thirty  feet  long. 
These  were  tied  on  to  the  rafters  closely,  like  clapboards, 
and  formed  an  excellent  roof,  only  surpassed  by  that  made 
of  another  palm,  called  confra,  found  nearer  the  sea, 
which  is  so  durable  as  to  last  eight  or  ten  years.  Butts 
of  the  manaca  formed  the  sides  of  the  champa ;  and  then 
we  had  a  house  large  enough  for  twenty  men,  with  the 
labor  of  five  men  a  day  and  a  half,  at  a  cost  of  $3.75. 
For  our  purpose  it  was  better  than  the  Palace  of  the 
Csesars. 

One  morning  I  explored  the  tree  to  which  we  were 
moored.  A  fine  balloon-vine  (Cardiospermum)  hung  in 
festoons  of  fragrant  flowers  from  the  branches ;  among 
them  was  a  humming-bird's  nest  fashioned  as  daintily  as 
usual  of  the  golden  down  of  tree-ferns,  and  shingled  with 
bits  of  lichens.  It  was  not  the  season  for  eggs ;  but  I  have 
at  other  times  found  many  nests,  with  never  more  than 
two  white  eggs  of  the  size  of  a  small  bean.  The  young 
birds,  I  may  add,  are,  when  first  hatched,  most  amusing 
little  things,  all  heads  and  eyes,  and  without  the  long 
bill  of  maturer  days.  I  found  also  a  green  grasshopper 
(Trojrideres),  five  inches  long,  and  very  handsome  of  his 
kind.  I  wondered  if  he  ate  sugar-cane,  and  other  things 
one  might  want  to  grow  if  living  in  the  champa. 

One  day,  going  ashore  to  cut  some  sticks  for  an 
awning  on  the  canoa,  I  hacked  with  my  machete  at  a 
tall,  slim  tree  very  common  along  the  banks,  and  which 
had  often  bothered  me  by  its  curled,  dried  leaves,  cling- 
ing to  the  tree  and  looking  very  much  like  the  doves 
(qualm)  which  were  so  often  on  the  tree  that  it  is  named 
for  them.     This  tree,  which  is  botanically  known  as  a 


58  GUATEMALA. 

cecropia,  one  of  the  nettle  family,  had  a  hollow  trunk 
divided  transversely  by  thin  partitions,  and  from  this 
cavity  came  a  swarm  of  ants.  I  had  here  a  chance  to 
verify  the  interesting  description  given  by  Mr.  Belt 1  of 
the  habits  of  these  remarkable  creatures.  As  he  says, 
they  get  into  the  tree  by  boring  a  small  hole,  and  then 
eat  their  way  through  the  many  floors  of  this  vegetable 
tower  ;  they  do  not,  however,  eat  the  tree  directly  for 
sustenance,  but  import  with  great  care  numbers  of  coc- 
cidse,  or  scale-insects,  to  feed  on  the  tree-juices  and  elab- 
orate a  honey-like  matter,  which  the  ants  eagerly  suck 
from  a  pore  on  the  back  of  these  little  cows.  I  tried  in 
vain  to  find  the  queen  ant ;  but  while  every  cecropia  that 
I  touched  was  tenanted  by  ants,  never  a  single  female 
came  to  light.  There  are  several  small  outer  doors,  for 
the  disturbed  stem  is  clotted  with  the  pugnacious  little 
ants  in  a  very  short  time.  What  first  taught  the  ants  to 
farm  these  dull,  inert  coccidaB  ?  Other  vegetables  are  ant- 
inhabited,  but  none  that  I  know  of  afford  such  spacious 
accommodations. 

Pleasant  as  this  life  on  the  river  and  in  the  forest 
was,  the  time  cauie  when  we  must  return ;  and  it  was 
startling  how  many  things  we  saw  on  our  way  down  which 
we  had  passed  unnoticed  coming  up,  —  tall  reeds  with 
feathery  blossoms  more  graceful  than  the  pampas-grass; 
palms  with  bluish  green  foliage ;  flowers  of  the  arum 
family  more  beautiful  than  a  calla ;  blue  herons ;  butter- 
flies of  the  most  attractive  colors  ;  fish  like  glass,  that 
is  as  transparent,  and  about  a  foot  long.  Frank  shot  a 
beautiful  grossbeak  with  scarlet  breast  and  metallic  green 
back,  and  brought  me  a  fine  purple  passion-flower ;  an- 

1  The  Naturalist  in  Nicaragua,  by  Thomas  Belt,  p.  222. 


THE  ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS. 


59 


other  of  the  party  shot  an  alligator,  who  turned  over, 
exposing  his  yellow  belly  as  he  died.  Altogether,  the 
voyage  down  was  more  agreeable  than  the  hard  run  up. 
Trees  that  were  bare  a  few  days  before  were  now  covered 
with  white  feathery  flowers,  and  others  presented  masses 
of  greenish  flowers  on  their  flat  tops.  We  sailed  and 
floated  down  the  Rio  Dulce  by  moonlight,  and  at  early 
dawn  anchored  at  Livingston. 


San  Gil,  from  Author's   House  in   Livingston. 


Opposite  the  town  are  lands  fertile  and  capable  of  pro- 
ducing fine  crops  to  an  enterprising  owner.  Frank  and 
I  rowed  over  several  times,  once  exploring  a  neglected 
finca,  where  cane,  sapotes,  cassava,  bananas,  plantains, 
rose-apples,  and  coconuts  were  all  jumbled  together ; 
at  another  time  visiting  a  cacao-plantation  farther  up 
the  stream.     There  is  certainly  room  for  a  wise  invest- 


60  GUATEMALA. 

ment  of  capital  on  these  lands  on  the  eastern  slope 
of  San  Gil  as  far  as  Santo  Tomas.  And  here  let  me 
write  of  this  port.  Puerto  Barrios,  and  the  Northern 
Railroad,  although  I  did  not  visit  them  until  the  spring 
of  1885. 

Santo  Tomas  is  beautifully  situated  ;  but  since  the  sad 
failure  of  the  Belgian  colony  established  there  by  a 
legislative  decree  of  April,  1843,  it  has  borne  a  bad 
reputation,  and  its  inhabitants  diminished  to  the  insig- 
nificant number  of  a  hundred  and  twenty-nine  by  the  last 
census.  Its  harbor,  into  which  no  large  river  empties,  is 
an  exceedingly  good  one,  and  a  wharf  might  be  con- 
structed on  deep  water ;  but  the  authorities,  in  selecting 
a  terminus  for  the  projected  railway  which  is  to  connect 
Guatemala  City  with  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  so  unite 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,  chose  a  place  some  three 
miles  eastward  from  Santo  Tomas,  where  they  must  con- 
struct a  wharf  some  three  hundred  feet  in  length  to 
reach  twenty  feet  of  water,  and  where  often  ships  can- 
not lie,  but  must  run  for  Santo  Tomas  in  bad  weather. 
Add  to  this  that  the  site  of  the  fine  city  of  Puerto 
Barrios  is  a  swamp  at  present  uninhabitable,  although 
laid  out  (on  paper)  in  a  very  attractive  way,  with 
castle,  theatre,  hippodrome,  and  all  the  elements  of  a 
Centro-American  city  of  the  first  rank.  The  splendid 
mango-trees,  with  their  dark,  dense  foliage,  are  abun- 
dant in  the  old  village,  while  here  even  the  palms  are 
dwarfed. 

Arriving  at  Puerto  Barrios  late  in  the  afternoon,  we 
were  kindly  received  by  the  contractors,  and  after  an 
exceedingly  good  supper  allotted  comfortable  beds  in  the 
large  storehouse.     We  had  heard  of  the  cruelty  practised 


THE  ATLANTIC   COAST  AND  ITS  CONNECTIONS.        61 

towards  the  workmen  on  the  railroad,  and  wished  to 
know  the  truth.  I  of  course  understood  the  circum- 
stances under  which  men  were  induced  to  go  there 
to  work,  and  knew  that  agents  in  New  Orleans  and 
elsewhere  might  and  did  make  unauthorized  promises 
to  the  shiftless  adventurers  who  sought  to  better  their 


Puerto  Barrios. 


fortunes  in  a  new  land.  Men  from  the  North  cannot 
do  hard  manual  work  in  this  climate  unless  they  are 
very  careful  in  regard  to  diet,  clothing,  and  general  sani- 
tary conditions.  If  they  get  wet,  and  sleep  in  their  wet 
clothes,  they  will  have  a  malarial  fever  in  a  newly  cleared 
country.  If  they  eat  improper  food,  or  proper  food  at 
improper  times,  their  bowels  will  certainly  protest.  Now, 
I  was  convinced  that  the  contractors  did  not  take  these 
precautions  with  their  men,  that  in  consequence  of  this 


62  GUATEMALA. 

negligence  a  large  amount  of  sickness  resulted,  and  that 
complaints  printed  in  the  newspapers  of  the  United 
States  from  the  sick  men  were  justified.  I  have  seen  the 
men  who  left  the  railroad  and  took  service  on  plantations, 
and  have  talked  with  them,  although  I  have  never  men- 
tioned the  subject  to  the  several  contractors  and  overseers 
I  met ;  my  opinion  is  therefore  formed  from  what  these 
unfortunate  men  told  me. 

In  the  morning  we  were  provided  with  the  only  hand- 
car the  road  owns,  and  began  our  explorations.  I  will 
not  mention  the  builders  of  that  car,  for  it  was  a  worth- 
less article,  and  had  it  belonged  to  me  I  should  have  run 
it  off  the  track  and  down  a  steep  place  into  the  sea.  The 
road,  of  thirty-six  inch  gauge,  was  graded  (in  March,  1885) 
some  six  miles,  and  rails  were  laid  four  miles  ;  but  the 
thirty-ton  locomotive,  which  had  to  do  the  work  one  of 
half  the  size  could  do,  could  run  only  over  three  miles,  the 
track  was  so  uneven.  Men  were  cutting  sleepers  in  the 
adjoining  forest,  and  we  saw  many  of  mahogany.  The 
grade  is  also  being  pushed  from  Tenedores,  on  the  Mota- 
gua  River,  to  meet  this  end.  No  great  engineering  is 
here  visible,  and  the  main  difficulty  seems  to  have  been 
in  getting  suitable  foundations  for  the  bridges  over  the 
numerous  small  creeks.  Along  the  track  we  saw  two 
large  snakes  of  the  boa  family  which  had  been  killed  by 
the  workmen.  Some  five  miles  from  Puerto  Barrios  we 
came  to  the  hot  sulphur-spring.  It  is  a  pool,  fifteen  feet 
in  diameter,  close  by  the  track,  and  pours  out  a  consider- 
able volume  of  clear,  hot  water,  pleasant  to  drink  when 
cooled,  but  while  in  the  pool  too  hot  to  put  one's  finger 
in.  Bubbles,  probably  of  hydrosulphuric  acid,  escaped 
freely  ;  but  vegetation  extended  to  the  very  borders  of  the 


THE   ATLANTIC    COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS. 


63 


pool,  and  all  around  the  forest  was  dense.  A  cool  brook 
ran  near  at  hand  and  gave  a  fine  bathing-place  as  the  hot 
water  mingled  with  it.  We  were  assured  that  the  men 
who  drank  the  sulphurous  hot  water  never  had  fever. 


Sulphur    Spring. 

From  Tenedores  the  surveyed  line  of  railroad  extends 
up  the  valley  of  the  Motagua  to  Gualan,  thence  up  the 
ascent  to  the  high  plateau  on  which  stands  Chiquimula, 
and  thence  to  Guatemala  City,  where  it  will  connect  with 
the  road  now  in  operation  from  that  city  to  San  Jose,  on 
the  Pacific,  five  thousand  feet  below. 

Before  leaving  the  Atlantic  coast  we  must  again  men- 
tion the  numerous  steamship  lines  from  Livingston  to 
New  Orleans,  New  York,  Belize,  Puerto  Cortez,  Jamaica, 


04  GUATEMALA. 

and  England.  Communication  may  thus  be  had  with 
the  best  markets  for  all  tropical  products.  The  lowlands 
are  amply  able  to  supply  New  Orleans,  New  York,  and 
Boston  with  bananas,  plantains,  pine-apples,  and  coco- 
nuts, the  latter  growing  most  abundantly  at  Cabo  de 
Tres  Puntas  on  Manabique.  The  climate  is  healthful 
and  not  too  hot,  averaging  for  the  year  about  80° ;  and 
as  there  is  no  marked  change  of  season,  a  perpetual  June 
seems  to  exist.  Capital  alone  is  wanted  to  develop  this 
Atlantic  coast  into  the  great  fruit-producing  orchard  of 
the  United  States.  Sugar-cane  grows  rapidly ;  and  so 
strong  is  the  soil  that  rattoon  crops  have  been  cut  for 
twenty  years  without  replanting,  and  no  diminution  of 
the  saccharine  yield  has  been  noticed.  Sugar  can  cer- 
tainly be  raised  much  cheaper  here  than  in  Cuba  or  in 
the  Hawaiian  Islands.1  One  day  carries  the  crop  to  Belize, 
four  days  to  New  Orleans,  and  eight  to  Boston  or  New 
York.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  these  advantages,  the  Nor- 
thern farmer  wears  out  his  life  in  the  consumptive  fields  of 
New  England,  where  his  crops  grow  only  four  months  of 
the  year,  instead  of  settling  here,  where  he  can  plant  any 
day  of  the  year  (except  saints'  days,  unless  he  employ  coo- 
lies), and  reap  a  rich  harvest  in  due  season.  He  sometimes 
goes  to  Florida,  which  is  neither  tropical  nor  temperate, 
which  is  nothing  but  a  raised  coral  reef  with  a  veneering 
of  soil,  and  where  frosts  cut  off  his  crops  every  few  years. 
\Ve  often  hear  of  the  extreme  unhealthfulness  of  the  trop- 
ics ;  but  is  it  generally  known  that  more  persons  die  of 
consumption  in  Massachusetts  than  of  the  most  dreaded 

1  Should  the  new  product,  saccharine,  meet  with  favor,  the  planting  of  cane 
will  follow  the  fate  of  indigo;  and  coal-tar  will  supply  the  sweet  things  of 
life  as  well  as  the  flavors  and  colors.     Coal  is  "  sweetness  and  light  "  ! 


THE   ATLANTIC   COAST   AND   ITS   CONNECTIONS. 


65 


tropical  diseases  in  Central  America  ?  The  last  time  an 
official  census  was  taken,  Livingston  had  a  population  of 
a  thousand,  in  round  numbers,  and  the  deaths  of  the 
year  numbered  seven,  —  one  a  centenarian,  and  two 
youths  who  fell  from  coconut-trees  and  broke  their 
necks ;  while  in  Boston  the  rate  for  July,  1885,  was 
28.1  per  thousand. 

The  objection  to  being  among  a  strange  people  and 
under  a  foreign  government  and  strange  laws  may  best 
be  met  by  following  me  through  the  country,  where  my 
object  was  to  answer  these  very  objections  for  myself ; 
and  if  my  readers  will  patiently  follow  me,  I  will  tell 
what  I  saw,  and  they  may  form  their  own  opinions. 


Paddle  and   Machete. 


CHAPTER   III. 

ACROSS    THE    CONTINENT,    WESTWARD    TO    COBAN. 

THE  last  days  of  October,  1883,  promised  good  weather 
for  the  hill-country,  and  Frank  and  I  again  left 
Livingston  in  the  only  way  one  can  leave  it,  —  by  water. 
Our  route  was  as  before,  —  up  the  Rio  Dulce  ;  but  this  time 
we  had  no  comfortable  but  heavy  "  Progreso."  We  had, 
however,  a  better  craft  for  our  voyage,  —  a  fine  native 
canoa,  cut  from  a  single  log  of  a  wood  they  called  cedar 
(which  it  is  not) ;  its  length  was  thirty  feet,  and  its  beam 
five  and  a  half.  With  two  masts  and  triangular  sails, 
this  canoa  could  show  good  speed  with  a  fair  wind  ;  but 
we  cared  little  for  her  sailing  qualities  on  the  present 
voyage.  As  there  were  no  ribs,  and  the  thwarts  were 
easily  removed,  we  made  the  after  part,  which  was 
floored,  quite  comfortable  with  a  temporary  roof,  or 
toldo ;  our  luggage  was  stowed  amidships,  while  our 
captain  and  two  men  had  their  quarters  forward  when 
not  rowing  or  paddling.  We  had  our  coffee-pot  (as  neces- 
sary a  travelling  companion  in  Central  America  as  an 
umbrella  in  England)  and  a  supply  of  food  for  a  week ; 
although  we  hoped  our  voyage  might  last  less  than  five 
days. 

The  cliffs  on  the  Rio  Dulce  were  as  beautiful  as  ever. 
Theirs  is  a  beauty  which  never  fades  with  the  fading 
year ;  and  yet  the  changes  are  very  marked.     I  never 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.       G7 

saw  such  a  river,  —  a  very  Proteus,  it  presented  a  new 
form  every  time  I  saw  it ;  and  Frank,  who  is  far  more 
familiar  with  its  face,  tells  me  I  have  never  seen  it  in  its 
glory,  which  comes  in  July,  when  the  brilliant  orchids 
are  all  aglow.  Now  a  cereus  with  crimson  blossoms 
was  prominent ;  so  were  the  bromeliads,  parasites  on 
almost  every  tree.  But  among  roses  I  saw  the  thorn. 
Our  Caribs  discovered  a  huge  serpent  asleep  on  a  white 
cliff  far  above  us.  Frank,  with  a  laudable  blindness  to 
all  that  was  not  pleasant,  could  see  nothing  but  a  fallen 
tree.  I  saw  only  a  few  feet  of  the  head  end,  which  had 
a  diameter  of  about  six  inches  ;  and  I  obstinately  refused 
to  fire  at  the  reptile,  since  he  was  quite  as  near  as  it  was 
desirable  to  have  him,  and  should  my  bullet  wound  but 
not  kill  him,  it  was  quite  possible  that  he  might  wriggle 
down  into  the  river  below.  Porpoises  were  common  far 
up  into  the  Golfete,  where  they  were  pursuing  the  abun- 
dant freshwater  fish.  A  light  sea-breeze  helping  us,  we 
anchored  for  the  night  far  above  Cayo  Paloma.  Our 
mozo,  Santiago,  slept  on  one  of  the  thwarts,  which  he 
exactly  fitted,  being  slightly  less  in  stature  than  the 
average  New  Englander. 

Our  anchor  was  up  betimes  5  and  before  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning  we  came  to  San  Felipe,  —  a  place  we  both 
had  great  curiosity  to  see  ;  for  in  the  absence  of  any 
definite  account  of  the  old  Spanish  fort,  we  allowed  our 
imagination  to  build  a  very  imposing,  picturesque,  and, 
withal,  strong  castle. 

We  found  that  Spanish  castles  in  Guatemala  were 
almost  as  unsubstantial  as  chateaux  en  Espagne  ;  and  it 
was  some  time  before  wc  distinguished  the  Castillo  de 
San  Felipe  through  the  morning  mist.     At  the  outlet  of 


G8  GUATEMALA. 

the  Lago  de  Izabal  the  shores  approach  each  other  closely, 
—  indeed,  the  channel  is  hardly  a  stone's  cast  broad  ;  and 
on  the  northern  point  stands  the  fort  built  in  1655  to 
protect  the  then  important  commerce  of  Izabal  from  the 
buccaneers.1  It  is  well  built  of  round  (uncut)  stone, 
and  the  waves  of  the  lago  dash  against  the  walls,  which 
are  gradually  yielding  to  the  insinuating  roots  of  many 
plants.  —  even  a  delicate  blue  commelyna  joining  in  the 
attack  that  the  seventeenth-century  pirates  began  in  vain. 
The  van  of  this  vegetable  scaling-party  was  led  by  a  fine 
papaya  (Carica papaya),  which  now  towered  far  above  the 
walls  with  its  head  of  ornamental  leaves,  but  which  per- 
ished soon  after  ;  and  we  saw  only  the  bare  stem  on  our 
return,  three  months  later. 

Passing  this  mediaeval  ruin,  we  came  to  a  slight  wharf 
of  stakes,  where  we  had  to  undergo  a  rigid  inspection  by 
the  guarda,  who  insisted  on  opening  our  trunks,  in  spite 
of  a  slight  shower  that  was  wetting  us.  But  we  submitted 
with  better  grace  on  reflecting  how  little  amusement  of 
any  sort  the  custom-house  men  could  have  in  this  sleepy 
looking  place ;  and  when  the  nonsense  was  over  we  sent 
Santiago  with  the  coffee-pot,  which  he  was  told  to  have 
boiled  over  somebody's  fire.  He  was  also  told  to  get  all 
the  food  he  could  find ;  and  this  useless  wretch  brought 
back,  as  the  total  result  of  his  foraging,  three  eggs  ! 
Coconut-trees  and  goyavas  were  abundant,  but  no  fruit 
could  be  found.  After  this  very  frugal  breakfast,  —  in 
which  we  did  not  ask  Santiago  to  join,  —  we  walked  to 
the  little  Comandancia ;   but  the  officials  were  not  visible, 

1  Its  armament  was  approved  by  the  Royal  Seal,  Nov.  7,  1658,  and  an 
order  of  Feb.  26,  1687,  provided  for  its  complete  repair.  The  plan  is  from  a 
sketch  by  F.  E.  Blaisdell. 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.       69 


Dm  n£ 


and  we  entered  the  old  fort,  as  the  only  other  sight  in 
the  dirty  little  town. 

The  plan  is  rather  peculiar,  but  doubtless  well  suited 
to  the  defensive  warfare  of  those  days.  The  doorless 
entrance-ports  invited  us  to  enter,  and  we  found  a  court- 
yard of  paved  and  level  surface  occupying  almost  the 
entire  area.  At  the  outer  end,  commanding  the  channel, 
the  bastion  was  higher  than  the  main  portion,  approached 
by  narrow  and  winding  steps,  easily  defended  ;  and  here 
was  the  most  curious  part  of  the  whole  edifice,  —  the 
gun-deck.  There  is  a  law  in  the  Guatemaltecan  code 
forbidding  photographing  in  military  works  ;  but  I  have 
since  wished  that  I  had  broken  that  law  then  and  there, 
so  that  my  readers  might  see  for 
themselves  the  clumsy  guns,  the 
carriages  with  wooden  wheels, 
the  magazine  roofed,  indeed, 
but  doorless,  —  the  whole  bus- 
iness as  dangerous  to  the  gun- 
ners as  to  any  enemy  outside. 
Some  fine  orange-trees  were 
growing  up  through  the  pave- 
ment, and  their  hard  green  fruit 
would  be  suitable  ammunition 
for  the  ancient  guns. 

There  was  nothing  whatever 
to  attract  the  most  curious  trav- 
eller in  San  Felipe,  and  we  sailed 
and  paddled  on  with  frequent 
calms  and  showers.  We  were  completely  in  the  hands 
of  our  boatmen,  whose  knowledge  of  the  lago  proved 
to  be  very  limited  ;  but  as  ours  was  even  less,  we  suffered 


Castillo  de  San   Felipe. 


70  GUATEMALA. 

them  to  coast  the  northern  shore,  when,  as  we  after- 
wards learned,  the  law  directed  our  course  southward  to 
Izabal,  the  port  of  entry,  where  we  should  have  obtained 
a  permit  to  proceed  on  our  voyage  inland.  Our  map  in- 
dicated the  course  we  selected  as  the  shorter  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  Polochic  ;   but  the  map  was,  as  usual,  wrong. 

There  was  not  much  to  see,  as  the  mist  and  rain  hid 
the  mountains  and  hung  low  on  the  shores,  driving  us 
frequently  under  our  rubber  roof.  "Whenever  the  mist 
lifted  we  caught  glimpses  of  the  far  southern  shore,  with 
the  grand  wall  of  the  Sierra  de  las  Minas  catching  the 
fleecy  clouds  on  every  black  pinnacle  ;  and  the  clearing 
sky  attracted  us  still  closer  to  the  northern  shore,  where 
we  could  see  a  low  wooded  country  backed  by  a  high 
range  of  mountains,  with  here  and  there  an  opening 
through  which  some  stream  reached  the  lake.  At  two 
o'clock  we  landed  at  Sauce,  on  a  beach  of  black  sand, 
evidently  volcanic,  scattered  with  fragments  of  chalcedony 
and  agatized  wood,  —  a  formation  which  puzzled  me  ex- 
ceedingly, as  all  this  region  is  supposed  to  be  non-volcanic. 
We  had  no  time  to  follow  the  beach  to  ascertain  the  ex- 
tent of  black  sand,  but  it  reached  far  beyond  the  few  com- 
fortable huts  on  the  shore,  —  as  far,  indeed,  as  we  could 
go  into  the  jungle  inland.  In  it  grew  luxuriantly  limes, 
bananas,  mangoes,  and  other  cultivated  plants  not  recog- 
nized. Goyavas  grew  to  a  large  size,  but  all  the  fruit  was 
ruined  by  worms. 

Here  first  we  saw  the  whole  process  of  tortilla-making. 
The  maiz  was  hulled  in  lime-water,  washed  in  the  lake, 
and  ground  laboriously  on  a  stone  metatle  into  a  consistent 
paste,  which  is  then  skilfully  patted  into  cakes  from  four 
to  six  inches  in  diameter,  round  and  thick  as  an  ordinary 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.   71 


griddle-cake.  These  are  then  baked  on  an  iron  plate 
or  coined,  but  not  browned,  and  should  be  eaten  hot,  and 
then  the  tortilla  tastes 
like  parched  corn.  The 
metatles  in  Guatemala 
were  all  of  very  simple 
pattern  and  unornament- 
ed,  not  so  well  wrought 
as  those  in  Mexico  and 
farther  southward,  but 
serving  their  purpose 
equally  well.  A  woman 
who  cannot  make  good 
tortillas  is  in  Guatemala 
not  deemed  fit  to  assume 
the  duties  of  housekeep- 
ing ;  and  yet  there  are  few 
articles  of  food  requiring 

more  labor  in  preparation  than  this  unleavened  bread. 
Except  the  Hawaiian  poi  (paste  of  the  Colocasium  escu- 
lentum  or  Kalo),  I  can  recall  no  article  of  diet  that  de- 
mands more  physical  labor.  The  inhabitants  of  the  tropics 
in  both  these  cases  lay  aside  their  proverbial  indolence  and 
earn  their  bread  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows.  For  our  men 
we  procured  meat  in  long  strips  put  on  skewers  and 
crisped  over  the  fire,  while  for  ourselves  we  bought 
bananas,  limes,  and  tortillas.  After  this  we  continued 
our  voyage  until  dark,  when  we  anchored  near  shore 
and  enjoyed  a  very  quiet  night.  At  early  dawn  we 
were  again  under  way.  The  showers  continued,  and  far 
away  on  the  Santa  Cruz  range  the  rains  were  heavy, 
boding  ill  for  our  ascent  of  the  river.     The  lake  water, 


Making  Tortillas. 


72  GUATEMALA. 

usually  quite  potable,  was  now  full  of  a  small  green  alga, 
and  the  cast  skins  of  ephemera  were  so  thick  on  the 
surface  that  for  miles  we  could  with  difficulty  get  a  dipper 
of  clear  water. 

Twice  our  Caribs  thought  they  had  found  the  mouth  of 
the  Polochic ;  and  at  last,  at  high  noon,  we  discovered  it, 
where  we  least  expected,  on  a  marshy  promontory  or  delta. 
Masses  of  coarse  floating  grass  were  attached  to  the  banks 
on  each  side,  almost  blocking  the  way ;  and  the  rapid  cur- 
rent, which  we  estimated  at  five  miles  an  hour,  made  these 
grass  plots  wave  as  if  the  breezes  were  playing  over  their 
tops.  Pelicans  were  abundant  and  tame ;  so  were  the 
iguanas.  The  air  was  still,  and  the  thermometer  marked 
eighty-five  degrees,  while  the  water  was  much  cooler.  — 
nine  decrees.  All  the  creeks  in  the  lowland  flowed  from 
the  river,  so  high  was  the  flood,  and  we  found  no  com- 
fortable landing-place. 

At  night  we  anchored  in  the  stream,  and  the  mosquitoes 
were  very  troublesome  ;  unlike  those  on  the  Chocon,  these 
were  black,  and  had  very  long  and  sharp  lancets.  At 
three  in  the  morning  we  could  bear  them  no  longer  ; 
Orion  was  in  the  zenith,  and  we  struck  our  toldo,  the 
men  slowly  rowing  on  until  six,  when  we  anchored  for 
coffee.  As  we  were  eating,  a  cayuco,  covered  with  a  neat 
awning  of  leaves,  came  rapidly  by  us  on  the  way  down ; 
its  occupants  assured  us  that  there  were  many  vueltas 
(bends)  and  a  great  current  (mucho  corriente)  before  we 
should  be  able  to  reach  Pansos. 

Ten  miles  a  day  was  the  utmost  limit  of  our  propelling 
power,  and  in  crossing  the  bends  to  escape  the  current  we 
hardly  held  our  own,  so  strong  were  the  flood-waters.  Our 
creeping  pace  gave  us  ample  time  to  see,  but  no  time  to 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.        73 

stop  for,  the  many  curious  things  on  either  bank.     Close 
on  the   shore   were   red  abutilons,  and  over  them    crept 
the  long-tubed  white  convolvulus  (Ipomcea  hona-nox)  and 
the  brilliant  yellow  allamanda ;  high  up  on  the  wild  fig- 
trees  were  black,  long-tailed  monkeys,  common  and  tame, 
their  wonderfully  human  faces  peering  down  at  the  in- 
truders, the  mothers  clasping  their  hairy  little  babies  to 
their  breasts  with  one  arm,  and  with  the  other  scratching 
their  heads  in  a  puzzled  manner.      One  of  our  Caribs  shot 
a  little  fellow  before  I  could  prevent  him,  and  the  creature 
clung,  even  in  death,  by  his  tail.     As  I  had  shot  an  iguana 
through  the  head  with  my  revolver  in  the  morning,  I  was 
called  upon  to  cut  with  my  bullet  the  provoking  tail,  that 
the  Caribs  might  have  a  caribal  feast.     Regard  for  my 
reputation  as  a  marksman,  and  the  memory  of  a  taste  of 
roast  monkey  in  India,  forbade  the  attempt,  and  the  poor 
monkey,  like  the  Tyburn  thief,  "  is  hanging  there  still." 
There  was  foam  on  the  water,  but  we  heard  no  water-fall, 
—  and  indeed  the  flat  nature  of  the  country  made  falls, 
cascades,  or  even  rapids,  impossible. 

We  passed  another  night  when  the  torrents  of  rain  had 
no  effect  on  the  myriads  of  mosquitoes  and  black-flies. 
IJtill  all  the  brooks  ran  inland,  although,  as  we  afterwards 
learned,  in  the  dry  season  these  banks  are  so  high  above 
the  water  that  they  are  hard  to  climb.  All  day  long  we 
saw  monkeys  along  the  banks,  though  high  above  us,  and 
the  following  night  we  heard  the  howlers ;  but  in  com- 
pensation for  that  evil  had  no  mosquitoes.  By  Saturday 
(Nov.  3,  1883)  we  hoped  to  be  well  on  our  road  from 
Pansos  to  Coban,  but,  except  the  cayuco,  we  saw  no  signs 
of  men  or  the  work  of  men's  hands ;  on  that  morning, 
however,  we  came  to  a  little  finca  on  the  river  bank,  where 


74  GUATEMALA. 

a  good  sized  stream  from  the  river  flowed  into  the  yard 
and  through  the  house.  The  poultry  had  taken  refuge  on 
the  roof,  and  the  Indian  proprietors  waded  through  the 
flood.  Luckily  the  oven,  or  fire-place,  was  raised  on  sticks 
several  feet  above  the  water,  so  that  the  senora  could  make 
us  some  tortillas,  —  eight  for  a  real.  Eggs  were  the  same 
price.  Slight  as  the  forage  was,  it  was  very  acceptable, 
as  our  food  was  nearly  gone,  and  we  were  already  depen- 
dent on  the  Caribs'for  their  cassava-bread.  The  river, 
these  persons  said,  was  falling,  so  we  pushed  on  with  new 
courage. 

A  fine  spider-lily  (Crinum)  grew  on  the  bank  where 
we  moored  our  canoa.  We  noticed  that  whenever  we 
made  fast  to  the  cane-brake,  the  black-flies  bothered  us 
far  more  than  when  we  had  trees  overhead  ;  was  it  not 
because  the  cane  did  not  afford  roosts  or  concealment  for 
the  fly-catching  birds  and  reptiles  ?  The  blossoms  of  the 
cane  were  very  beautiful,  indeed  as  attractive  as  those  we 
had  noticed  on  the  Chocon.  Mahogany-trees  were  seen 
here  and  there,  and  we  were  told  that  there  was  much  of 
this  fine  wood  on  the  Rio  Zarco,  just  at  hand.  I  also  saw 
a  goyava-tree,  some  eighteen  inches  in  diameter  and  eighty 
feet  high.  In  the  afternoon  we  passed  willows  (Sauce), 
and  about  five  o'clock  were  startled  by  an  unusual  noise 
behind  us,  when  a  huge  three-storied  structure  came  sweep- 
ing up  the  stream,  as  if  in  pursuit ;  it  was  the  steamer 
"  City  of  Belize,"  a  flat-bottomed  stern-wheeler.  As  the 
current  was  very  strong  and  the  channel  narrow,  we  has- 
tened to  make  fast  to  a  large  fig-tree  overhanging  the 
stream.  Before,  however,  our  arrangements  were  made,  the 
steamer  was  upon  us,  and  her  surge,  added  to  the  current, 
tore  us  from  our  mooring  and  swept  us  under  the  tree. 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.        75 

Our  masts  caught  in  a  branch,  and  we  were  turned  on 
our  beam-ends.  For  an  instant  our  situation  was  critical. 
Our  weather-rail  was  six  inches  under  water,  and  we 
were  clinging  to  the  other  side  as  the  water  came  pour- 
ing in  ;  then  the  mainmast  slipped,  and  we  righted,  all 
hands  bailing  out  eagerly,  while  Frank  held  by  some 
branches  and  prevented  a  repetition  of  the  disaster.  If 
the  canoa  had  upset,  our  journey  would  probably  have 
ended  there,  as  our  photographic  supplies  would  have 
been  ruined,  and  there  would  have  been  little  chance  for 
us  in  that  deep,  rapid  river,  with  no  banks,  and  no  trees 
that  offered  food,  even  if  they  gave  us  shelter  from  the 
alligators ;  and  these  too  would  have  shown  themselves 
as  soon  as  the  disturbance  caused  by  the  steamer  had 
abated.  Our  Carib  captain  was  as  frightened  as  we  were, 
and  with  the  little  English  he  knew,  exclaimed  as  we 
anchored  for  the  night  :  "  D — cl  good  boat ;  would  n't  sell 
her  for  h — 11!"  The  persons  on  the  "City  of  Belize" 
must  have  seen  us  filling,  but  they  did  not  stop  to  see  if 
we  drowned. 

All  night  we  had  mosquitoes,  but  no  rain  ;  and  to  our 
wakeful  excitement  was  added  the  horrible  noises  of 
tigres,  wild  hogs,  monkeys,  alligators,  and  other  animals. 
We  were  getting  tired  of  the  river,  and  our  voyage 
seemed  interminable.  Early  in  the  morning  we  passed 
the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Cahabon,  where  the  steamer  had 
anchored  the  night  before,  and  soon  after  I  shot  my  first 
alligator.  He  was  a  large  one,  and  my  ball  struck  him 
just  behind  the  foreleg.  He  jumped  clear  of  the  water, 
turned  over,  and  fell  back,  tingeing  the  river  with  blood. 

We  thought  we  had  counted  twice  the  seventy-two 
vueltas  in  the  fifty  miles  between  the  mouth  of  the  river 


76  GUATEMALA. 

and  Pansos  ;  but  this  port  still  fled  before  us,  and  it  was 
nearly  dark  before  I  ^melt  human  habitations.  Not 
one  of  our  company  had  ever  been  there  before  ;  but  the 
Caribs  were  greatly  amused  at  my  assertion,  and  I  think 
Frank  smiled  in  his  sleeve  at  my  scent.  But  I  certainly 
smelt  them,  and  kept  the  men  rowing,  and  blew  the 
conch-shell,  as  the  law  requires  on  approaching  a  port ; 
and  at  last,  long  after  dark,  the  lights  of  the  steamer  fast 
at  the  wharf  appeared,  and  we  were  soon  alongside. 

We  had  been  a  week  in  our  canoa,  and  five  days 
without  landing  ;  but  our  troubles  were  not  yet  ended. 
The  stupid  soldiers  flatly  refused  to  allow  us  to  land 
our  traps  without  a  permit  from  the  comandante,  and 
insisted  that  we  should  go  with  them  to  the  Comandancia, 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  I  started  with  Santiago, 
over  a  road  worked  into  pasty  mud  by  the  ox-carts  from 
Coban.  It  was  raining  and  very  dark,  and  the  almost 
naked  soldiers  tried  to  light  the  way  with  splinters  of  fat- 
pine,  called  here  ocote.  At  last  the  road  ended  in  a  black 
pool,  into  which  the  barelegged  soldiers  waded.  But  I 
declined  to  oro  farther  unless  thev  carried  me ;  and  it 
almost  made  the  night  bright  to  see  the  look  these  apol- 
ogies for  men  gave  each  other  and  the  stranger  who 
weighed  twenty  pounds  more  than  their  united  weights. 
It  ended  as  it  should  have  begun ;  and  Santiago  went 
on  with  one  guard  to  explain  matters,  while  with  the 
other  I  returned  to  the  steamer.  The  officers  of  the 
steamer  had  kindly  invited  us  to  sleep  on  board  ;  but 
the  soldier  on  guard  refused  to  let  us  pass  the  plank, 
so  I  pitched  him  into  the  river,  —  the  proper  place  for 
all  such  stupid  military  men,  —  and  went  on  board  un- 
opposed.    Soon  word  came  that  we  might  sleep  where 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COB  AN.        77 

we  pleased.  Mosquitoes  were  as  bad  here  as  anywhere 
on  the  Polochic;  and  while  Frank  slept  on  the  dining- 
table  without  a  net,  I  had  a  very  dirty  bed  and  a  net 
full  of  mosquitoes  and  other  things ;  so  in  the  morning 
we  could  not  decide  which  had  had  the  least  comfort. 

With  light  usually  comes  a  more  cheerful  feeling  ;  and 
a  good  breakfast,  to  which  the  officers  of  the  steamer  in- 
vited us,  made  us  feel  at  peace  with  all  men,  and  I  even 
took  the  trouble  to  ask  if  the  soldier  I  had  pitched  into 
the  river  was  drowned.  The  rain  having  ceased,  we 
started  for  the  town,  ferrying  ourselves  over  the  creek  in 
an  old  canoa  half  full  of  water. 

As  the  comandante  had  not  recovered  from  his  over- 
night debauch,  we  went  about  the  little  village  to  do 
some  necessary  shopping  and  arrange  for  our  journey 
to  Coban.  The  town  was  small,  but  neat  and  attractive. 
A  clear  brook  ran  over  a  limestone  bed,  and  in  one  place 
it  fell  over  a  ledge  into  a  pool  where  washing  is  done 
both  of  persons  and  garments.  An  old  Spaniard  was 
bathing  here,  and,  although  half  a  dozen  women  were 
washing  clothes  or  soaking  maiz  in  the  same  limited 
bath-tub,  he  invited  us  to  join  him.  Near  by,  a  man  was 
dressing  an  oxhide  by  pegging  it  to  the  ground  and  then 
salting  the  inside. 

At  the  Comandancia  we  found,  not  the  chief,  who  was 
still  too  drunk,  but  two  very  polite  officials,  with  whom 
I  had  a  pleasant  chat ;  I  then  wrote  my  name,  resi- 
dence, and  all  the  titles  I  could  ever  lay  claim  to,  as  well 
as  those  of  Senor  Don  Francisco,  my  "  Secretario."  The 
impression  was  so  marked  that  our  lawless  neglect  of 
Izabal  was  overlooked,  and  we  were  given  a  full  permit  to 
land  our  luggage.    Once  more  we  returned  to  the  river,  in 


78  GUATEMALA. 

order  to  dismiss  our  Carib  boatmen,  and  on  the  way  we  met 
an  intelligent  ladino  who  spoke  English  (indeed  he  had 
been  to  London) ;  and  he,  acting  as  our  interpreter,  greatly 
assisted  us  in  shopping  and  in  our  preparations  for  the 
long  journey  before  us.  In  his  garden  were  some  goyava- 
trees  (Psidium) ;  but  the  fruit  was  unripe,  and  we  found 
that  our  new  friends  eat  the  goyava  as  the  Chinese  eat 
pears  and  other  fruits,  —  quite  hard ;  salting  it,  however. 
Santiago  found  horses  for  Frank  and  myself,  and  at  the 
Comandancia  we  procured  Indian  mozos  to  carry  our 
luggage.  This  was  our  first  experience  of  a  system  that 
we  found  very  convenient  throughout  the  country.  By  an 
order  from  the  Comandancia,  Indios  are  obliged  to  carry 
burdens,  as  in  the  present  case,  precisely  as  their  Northern 
brothers  have  to  serve  on  a  jury,  and  do  it  for  three 
reals  (37-|  cents)  a  day,  —  quite  equal  here  to  the  fee  the 
law  allows  an  intelligent  juryman  in  the  North.  They 
cannot  be  sent  beyond  their  district,  nor  made  to  carry 
more  than  four  arrobas  (100  lbs.).  In  many  cases  they 
carry  six  arrobas  without  complaint,  supporting  their 
burden  by  a  raw-hide  strap  (called  mecapal)  over  the 
forehead.  The  person  hiring  pays  to  the  authorities,  with 
whom  the  men  are  registered,  a  real  a  head.  I  provided 
four  of  these  men  to  carry  our  luggage  to  La  Tinta  ;  but 
Santiago  cut  down  the  number  by  half  at  the  end  of  the 
first  stage.  Our  experience  with  these  mozos  cle  cargo 
was  pleasant,  as  they  usuall}*  kept  up  with  our  horses 
on  the  mountain-roads,  and  took  good  care  of  the  par- 
cels intrusted  to  them.  Each  one  carries  a  palm-leaf 
umbrella  (sw/acal),  which  also  serves  for  bed  at  night. 
I  have  employed  dozens  of  these  bearers,  and  found  only 
one  of  whom  I  could  complain  ;  and  he  was  not  with  me 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.        79 

on  the  road,  but  sent  with  our  mozo  Santiago,  —  which 
might  be  an  excuse  for  him. 

There  is  no  pomda  in  Pansos ;  and  after  getting  our 
breakfast  at  noon  in  a  little  shop  which  was  papered  with 
pictures  from  "  Harper's  Weekly  "  and  "  Puck,"  we  decided 
to  spend  the  night  at  Teleman.  After  some  difficulty  in 
getting  permission  for  our  guide  to  leave  town,  —  the 
comandante  being  still  drunk,1  —  at  two  o'clock,  mounted 
tolerably,  Frank  and  I,  with  our  boy  Roberto,  left  Pansos. 
The  pleasure  of  being  again  on  horseback  after  the  dull 
inaction  of  our  canoa  voyage  was  so  great  that  I  was 
willing  to  overlook  any  deficiencies  in  my  mount.  As 
Roberto  stopped  a  short  distance  from  the  town  to  make 
a  slight  addition  to  his  wardrobe,  we  went  on  alone  for 
a  while  ;  the  road  could  hardly  be  missed,  it  is  so  worn 
by  the  bullock-carts  used  to  bring  coffee  from  the 
plantations  of  Alta  Verapaz.  The  beautiful  vegetation, 
healthy  and  luxuriant,  drew  our  attention  from  the 
muddy  road,  which  became  worse  as  we  got  farther  into 
the  forest.  Many  fine  clear  brooks  crossed  our  path, 
and  as  we  came  out  of  the  woods  the  valley  of  the  Boca- 
nueva  lay  before  us.  Two  piers  of  masonry  stand  on 
opposite  banks  of  this  river  ;  but  the  iron  bridge  lies  on 
the  shore  at  Livingston,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  very 
strong  attraction  between  the  iron  and  the  masonry. 
The  absence  of  a  bridge  was  no  great  hardship,  for  not 
only  was  the  river  shallow  and  easily  fordable,  but  there 
was  a  most  curious  vine-bridge,  built  of  vejucos,  perhaps 
a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  hung  from  two  convenient 
trees  and  approached  by  ladders.     It  was  old,  and  one 

1  I  may  add  that  soon  after  our  arrival  in  Cuban  the  Jefe  politico  deposed 

this  unworthy  comandante,  punishing  him  with  various  indignities. 


80  GUATEMALA. 

side  was  broken  down ;  so  it  required  care  and  courage 
to  cross  it.  It  was  very  similar  in  construction  to  mod- 
ern wire  suspension-bridges,  but  wholly  vegetable,  there 
being  not  a  particle  of  metal  about  it. 

A  few  miles  farther  brought  us  out  of  the  wooded  to 
the  cleared  land,  where  is  the  hamlet  of  Teleman,  famed 
for  its  delicious  oranges.  Although  nearly  sundown,  and 
cloudy,  the  thermometer  stood  at  seventy-eight  degrees. 
We  found  lodging  at  the  house  of  Don  Pablo,  a  fine-looking 
old  man  with  a  heavy  gray  beard.  His  little  home  was  in 
the  midst  of  orange  and  coffee  trees  close  on  the  road,  and 
only  a  light  rail  kept  the  too  familiar  cattle  out  of  the 
house.  We  had  no  long  time  to  look  around  before  dark ; 
but  our  comida  was  good,  and  the  coffee  grown  there  was 
very  fine.  The  hospitable  Don  Pablo  pointed  to  a  pile  of 
oranges  on  the  floor  and  told  us  to  help  ourselves,  which 
we  did  freely.  Another  Spaniard  came  in  soon  after  we 
were  settled,  and  I  had  the  best  chance  I  had  ever  had  to 
exercise  my  "  book  Spanish."  I  surprised  Frank,  and 
myself  as  well,  obtaining  from  these  two  agreeable  men  a 
great  deal  of  information  about  our  road  and  the  country 
generally.  The  room  was  certainly  as  strange  a  one 
as  I  had  ever  slept  in, —  a  table  in  one  corner,  with  a 
mahogany  bench  fifteen  inches  wide  before  it  (on  this 
bench  a  small  child  slept  all  night,  without  pillow  or 
covering) ;  two  hammocks  ;  a  bedstead  with  mosquito- 
netting  ;  piles  of  coffee,  oranges,  and  other  small  matters ; 
a  shrine  of  tinsel  containing  two  images,  before  whose 
dingy  holiness  a  sardine-box  lamp  burned  luridly  ;  meat 
in  strips  hung  from  the  roof.  The  chickens  had  all  gone 
under  the  bed  for  the  night ;  and  when  it  was  time  for 
the  featherless  bipeds  to  roost  also,  our  host  and  his  women 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.        81 

retired  into  the  dark  inner  room,  after  assigning  me  the 
bed  and  Frank  one  of  the  hammocks,  while  the  stranger 
took  the  other  and  soon  settled  himself  comfortably. 
The  bed  certainly  was  not  luxurious,  and  the  pillow  had 
seen  better  days;  but  I  rigged  up  a  cleaner  head-rest  with 
a  towel,  and  was  comfortable  enough.  Not  so  Frank,  who 
was  unused  to  hammocks ;  and  before  I  was  quite  asleep 
I  heard  his  whisper,  asking  if  there  was  room  to  take 
him  in ;  and  as  the  bed  was  large,  his  hammock  was 
deserted. 

We  were  up  at  four ;  and  as  it  was  still  quite  dark,  the 
sardine-box  lamp  was  again  lighted,  and  we  drank  the 
delicious  coffee  grown  in  Don  Pablo's  garden,  while  a 
little  muchacha  drove  out  her  chickens  from  under  the 
bed.  The  clouds  promised  rain ;  but  we  had  none 
all  day,  in  spite  of  the  predictions  of  both  host  and 
guide. 

We  crossed  two  aguas  calientes.  One  of  them  was  steam- 
ing in  the  cool  morning  air  ;  but  their  temperature  was 
very  little  above  that  of  the  atmosphere  at  midday.  Cacao- 
trees  were  very  common,  though  we  saw  none  cultivated. 
Here  we  first  saw  in  abundance  some  of  the  convolvulus 
blossoms  for  which  the  country  is  noted.  One  was  of  a 
pale  rose,  another  a  deep  blue,  with  hispid  calyx  and  a 
corolla  five  inches  across,  while  a  third  was  of  flesh-color 
and  satiny  texture,  covering  the  trees  near  La  Tinta. 
We  arrived  in  that  village  about  noon,  and  after  some 
delay  found  a  house  where  they  would  cook  us  an 
almuerzo.  Our  menu  comprised  good  white  rolls,  broiled 
meat,  fried  plantains,  frijoles,  fried  eggs,  and  good  coffee, 
—  all  which  we  relished  exceedingly ;  and  we  were  not 
less  satisfied  with  the  price, — two  reals  each.     The  house 

6 


82  GUATEMALA. 

contained  only  one  room,  a  stone  cooking-bench  x  at  one 
end,  and  a  row  of  box-like  beds  along  one  side.  Under 
these  several  hens  were  sitting,  and  two  or  three  dogs 
tried  hard  to  get  into  a  bed,  while  a  colt  kept  putting 
his  head  into  a  window,  and  finally  upset  the  corn-box. 
There  was  not  much  to  the  town,  certainly.  The  school 
had  thirteen  pupils,  —  some  bright  enough ;  but  the 
church  was  an  insignificant  shed.  Pasturage  was  good, 
and  we  noticed  a  very  large  proportion  of  bulls  by  the 
roadside  ;    these  were  quite  as  gentle  as  the  cows. 

In  the  afternoon  we  crossed,  on  an  iron  truss-bridge 
covered  with  a  thatched  roof,  the  Polochic,  now  a  shal- 
low but  still  wide  stream.  I  wished  for  my  camera  here, 
—  as  I  had  several  times  since  I  left  Pansos ;  but  we 
were  effectually  parted  until  our  mozos  should  overtake 
us  at  Coban.  We  had  been  assured  by  the  blind  ladinos 
that  there  was  no  interesting  scenery  on  the  road.  We 
were  now  constantly  ascending,  and  we  passed  many 
Indios  of  the  Poconchi  tribe,  —  clean,  good-looking,  and 
dressed  in  white,  with  fanciful  designs  of  darker  colors 
sewed  on. 

1  Owing  to  the  heavy  duty,  iron  stoves  are  seldom  seen  in  Guatemala ; 
but  a  structure  of  stone,  where  that  material  is  at  hand,  elsewhere  of  sticks 
covered  with  clay,  is  reared  to  the  height  of  about  two  feet.  Its  size  depends, 
of  course,  on  the  wants  of  the  household ;  but  large  or  small,  the  form  is 
always  the  same.  Three  suitable  stones,  forming  what  would  correspond  to  a 
pot-hole  in  an  ordinary  stove,  are  embedded  in  the  clay-top  of  this  house-altar, 
and  the  long  slim  sticks  that  furnish  fuel  serve  also  as  poker,  shovel,  and 
tongs.  There  is  no  chimney,  but  the  smoke  and  steam  escape  by  the  many 
cracks  in  the  walls  or  by  the  windows.  On  one  stone  trij^od  a  comal  for  tor- 
tillas, on  another  an  earthen  pitcher  of  coffee,  and  on  another  a  stew-pan 
(cazuela)  of  frijoles,  is  the  usual  kitchen  arrangement.  Answering  its  purpose 
as  well  as  a  costly  stove,  it  may  be  built  for  a  few  reals ;  and  if  an  oven  is 
needed  for  bread,  a  stone  and  earthen  dome  built  over  such  a  table-like  hearth 
makes  a  capital  one,  not  unlike  those  so  common  among  the  Canadians  and  in 
other  halt-civilized  countries. 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.   83 

We  arrived  at  Chamiquin  early  in  the  afternoon,  and 
found  the  hamlet  consisted,  as  far  as  we  could  see,  of 
two  very  inferior  houses  and  as  many  sheds.  A  fine 
grove  of  mango -trees,  but  no  fruit ;  a  hen-house  built  in 
the  second  story  only,  and  accessible  by  ladder ;  palms, 
with  the  withered  leaves  still  clinging  to  the  stem 
(cultivated  for  the  nuts,  but  dreary  looking) ;  limestone 
cropping  out  on  the  neighboring  hills,  —  comprised  the 
distinctive  features  of  the  place.  Our  room  was  new  and 
clean,  lined  with  banana-leaves,  and  the  hard  earth  floor 
was  of  course  uncarpeted.  The  furniture  was  simply  a 
table  and  a  bench ;  but  frugal  as  the  furnishing  was,  our 
dinner  surpassed  it, —  a  few  tortillas,  four  eggs,  and  some 
nasty  coffee  for  two  hungry  men !  We  had  our  own 
candles,  or  we  might  not  have  seen  how  little  it  was. 
Perhaps  our  hostess  did  as  well  as  she  could,  for  the 
twenty-five  dogs  that  besieged  our  room  while  we  ate 
were  evidently  half  starved. 

All  through  the  country  the  dogs  are  very  ill  condi- 
tioned, and  I  several  times  remonstrated  with  their 
owners  for  what  seemed  to  me  cruel  treatment ;  for 
although  I  detest  this  unclean  brute,  I  do  not  like  to 
see  him  suffer.  But  I  was  always  assured  that  the 
dogs  were  underfed,  not  on  account  of  cruelty,  but  to 
make  them  good  hunters  and  scavengers.  It  certainly 
made  them  useless  for  the  only  purpose  besides  hunting 
that  dogs  seem  to  have  been  created  for,  —  human 
food.  Guatemala  canines  are  certainly  a  contrast  to 
the  juicy  little  poi  dogs  of  the  Hawaiians  (which 
are  fed  only  on  poi,  sweet  potato,  and  milk),  or  the 
excellent  dogs  always  hanging  in  the  butcher-shops  in 
China. 


84  GUATEMALA. 

Here  let  me  speak  of  the  atrocious  coffee  that  we 
found  in  this  place  and  elsewhere  as  we  went  on.  The 
berry,  which  is  of  fine  quality,  is  burned,  not  roasted, 
and  when  pulverized,  boiled  for  hours,  and  then  bottled. 
This  nasty  mess  they  call  esencia  de  cafe,  and  mix  it 
with  boiling  water  at  the  table.  It  was  generally  served 
to  us  hi  patent-medicine  bottles,  with  a  corn-cob  or  a  roll 
of  paper  for  a  stopper.  It  had  not  the  slightest  taste  of 
coffee,  but  reminded  one  of  the  smell  of  a  newly-printed 
newspaper. 

We  were  on  our  way  next  morning  at  half-past  five, 
and  found  the  road  much  washed  by  the  severe  rains  of 
the  night  before.  On  our  right,  across  the  valley,  was 
a  fine  cascade  spattering  over  the  limestone  rocks,  and 
now  we  came  for  the  first  time  to  home-like  pine-trees. 
Begonias  of  two  species  grew  in  the  clefts  of  the  road- 
side rocks,  and  in  a  house-yard  was  a  fine  Euphorbia 
Poinsettii.  As  my  horse  had  hurt  his  foot  at  Teleman, 
I  walked  much  of  the  way,  so  our  progress  up  the  hills 
was  not  very  rapid ;  and  we  were  by  no  means  expecting 
it  when  a  turn  in  the  road  between  two  hills  brought  us 
abruptly  into  San  Miguel  Tucuru. 

This  interesting  town,  of  some  three  hundred  inhabit- 
ants, had  no  posacla ;  but  we  found  a  capital  casa  de 
hosjiedaje,  kept  by  a  senora  of  African  descent  married 
to  an  invisible  laclino.  The  house  was  of  fair  size,  built 
of  adobe,  and  well  plastered.  A  black  Saint  Benedict  hung 
in  affi-gy  on  the  wall,  —  the  forerunner  of  a  host  of  black 
saints  and  holy  people  whom  we  saw  both  in  sculpture 
and  painting  as  we  advanced  through  this  ancient  do- 
main of  the  Spanish  missionaries.  Our  senora  had  a 
calentura,  —  the  national  excuse  for  not  doing  anything 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.        85 

or  going  anywhere  ;  but  for  all  that  she  got  us  a  good 
breakfast.  Our  horses  were  used  up,  and  our  boy  could 
get  no  others.  An  appeal  to  the  alcalde  brought  one 
poor  horse  ;  but  all  our  further  efforts  were  answered  by 
manana  (to-morrow),  —  that  word  so  hateful  to  an  active 
man,  but  universal  here.  As  we  had  a  very  comfortable 
house  to  pass  the  night  in,  we  made  ourselves  easy,  and 
started  to  explore  the  town.  On  our  way  in  I  had  seen 
an  attractive  spring  a  short  distance  from  the  road,  and 
I  went  alone  to  explore  it,  taking  a  calabash  I  had  just 
purchased  for  a  drinking-vessel.  A  well-worn  path  led 
across  a  meadow,  and  a  sudden  turn  brought  me  upon  a 
party  of  women  in  exceedingly,  slight  apparel,  bathing 
and  washing  in  a  little  pool  into  which  the  spring  emp- 
tied through  a  spout.  These  naiads  were  most  of  them 
young ;  but  one  old  woman,  a  foul-visaged  hag,  scowled 
savagely  upon  me,  while  the  others  giggled  as  I  quietly 
handed  my  calabash  to  the  prettiest,  and  asked  her  to 
give  me  a  drink  of  water,  which  she  caught  from  the 
high  spout  with  skill  and  without  hesitation,  although 
the  action  exhibited  her  form  in  all  its  beauty.  How  I 
wanted  my  camera ! 

Stuck  in  the  muddy  road  was  a  train  of  ox-carts,  and 
the  oxen  from  seven  or  eight  were  yoked  to  the  head 
cart ;  and  when  that  was  dragged  out  of  the  slough  to 
a  camping-place,  the  next  and  all  the  rest  were  treated 
the  same  way.  We  wandered  about  town  between  the 
showers,  saw  lime-kilns,  a  lead-mine,  and  several  pot- 
teries, and  at  last  came  to  the  church,  —  a  more  consid- 
erable building  than  we  had  yet  seen  in  Central  America. 
The  door  was  tied  with  a  leather  shoestring,  and  there 
was   no   resident   priest.      The   images   seemed,    to    our 


86  GUATEMALA. 

unaccustomed  eyes,  most  horrible  ;  but  they  must  have 
appeared  in  holier  form  to  the  poor  worshippers,  for 
marigolds  and  amaranths  were  strewed  before  them,  and 
votive  candles  burned  on  the  floor.  The  ancient  name 
of  this  town  was  Tucurub  (meaning  "town  of  owls"); 
but  the  Spaniards  re-christened  it  by  one  of  the  saints 
called  Michael,  —  which  I  do  not  know,  but  apparently 
not  that  one  whose  churches  in  western  Europe  are  usu- 
ally perched  on  some  almost  inaccessible  pinnacle,  as  at 
Le  Puy  in  France,  St.  Michael's  Mount  in  Cornwall, 
etc.  Only  one  man  in  the  town  could  speak  English, 
and  he  could  give  us  very  little  information  about  our 
road.  Indeed,  all  the  way  we  were  in  that  delightful 
condition  of  travelling  without  knowing  exactly  what  is 
coming,  and  constantly  meeting  the  unexpected.  The 
rain  at  last  came  down  in  earnest,  and  drove  us  within 
doors.  A  Boston  boy  who  has  a  fine  coffee  estate  in 
the  neighborhood  came  in  as  we  were  at  dinner  and 
initiated  us  into  the  mystery  of  tortillas  tostadas.  Cer- 
tainly by  toasting,  the  tough,  clammy,  cold  tortilla  is 
made  even  better  than  new. 

At  four  in  the  morning  our  boy  Roberto  lighted  the 
candle  and  waked  us  up.  We  had  settled  our  score  the 
night  before,  and  so  did  not  disturb  the  family,  but  com- 
pleted our  toilet  on  the  doorstep,  as  we  saw  to  the  sad- 
dling of  our  horses,  by  the  light  of  the  solitary  candle. 
It  was  so  dark  as  we  rode  away  that  we  could  not  see 
the  road,  and  blindly  followed  our  guide's  white  horse. 
A  gate  across  the  road  gave  us  some  trouble,  as  we  could 
only  feel  it.  By  daylight  the  scenery  must  be  fine  ;  but 
as  the  noise  of  rushing  waters,  and  a  blacker  streak  by 
the  road-side,  alone  indicated  the  torrents  and  barrancas 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.        87 

at  hand,  we  were  troubled  rather  than  pleased  by  these 
picturesque  properties.  We  came  to  an  ox-train  camped 
in  the  middle  of  the  road ;  and  but  for  the  glowing  em- 
bers of  their  camp-fires  we  should  have  had  great  difficulty 
in  passing. 

As  the  gray  dawn  brightened  over  the  mountains,  the 
numerous  white  cascades  attracted  enough  attention  to 
keep  us  from  the  drowsiness  we  were  both  falling  into 
from  the  darkness,  cold,  and  dampness,  and  the  slow  gait 
of  our  horses.  Fire-flies  were  still  sparkling  when  it  was 
light  enough  to  see  the  road. 

It  was  quite  early  when  we  came  to  Tamahu;  and  as  we 
entered  the  little  town  (1,517  inhabitants),  which  is  twelve 
leagues  from  Coban,  we  saw  a  shrine  with  images  as  hor- 
rible as  any  of  the  idols  of  the  ancient  Polynesians.  Most 
of  the  houses  had  tiled  roofs,  and  looked  neat  and  comfort- 
able. At  one  of  the  best  we  stopped  for  coffee  ;  and  while 
the  preparations  for  our  meal  were  going  on,  Frank  and  I 
went  up  to  the  church  hard  by.  The  door  was  tied  with  a 
rope,  and  we  found  little  of  interest  within,  except  images 
closely  resembling  East  Indian  idols,  and  around  all  a 
flavor  of  mild  decay.  Our  hostess  —  for  always  it  was 
the  senora  who  managed  the  hospitalities  and  took  the 
pay  therefor  —  gave  us  rolls  and  fried  plantains  with  our 
good  coffee,  and  the  table  and  bench  were  of  some  choice 
wood,  darker  and  harder  than  mahogany.  Fine  roses 
blossomed  in  the  yard  (it  was  November),  and  cotton- 
dyeing  and  weaving,  the  principal  industries  of  the  town, 
were  carried  on  in  nearly  every  house.  Lime-burning  and 
tile-making  also  employ  a  goodly  number  of  the  people. 

As  we  rode  into  the  country,  we  passed  many  clumps 
of  a  fine  arborescent  composite  some  twenty  feet  high,  — 


88  GUATEMALA. 

one  of  the  giants  of  this  great  and  widely  spread  family. 
Crimson  lobelias  (like  cardinal-flowers)  with  red  stems, 
crennlate  leaves,  and  a  very  unpleasant  odor,  were  com- 
mon. The  road  was  badly  gullied,  and  the  nightly  rains 
had  made  the  Polochic,  which  still  kept  at  our  side,  an 
angry  looking  torrent  quite  unfordable.  The  grades  of 
the  road  were  good,  and  showed  engineering  skill  and 
constant  care ;  but  for  all  this  my  horse  broke  clown 
before  noon,  as  I  had  expected,  and  our  boy,  after  some 
consultation  with  the  drivers  of  a  mule-train  we  passed, 
captured  a  stray  mule  for  me  and  turned  the  horse 
loose.  All  the  horses  here  seem  so  feeble,  and  many 
of  the  mules  so  sore,  that  I  seriously  thought  of  cap- 
turing one  of  the  powerful  bulls  feeding  peaceably  by 
the  path,  and  riding  him  in  true  African  style ;  but 
Frank  earnestly  dissuaded  me,  so  we  had  to  walk  half 
the  time  to  save  our  wretched  hacks. 

Through  the  mud  we  rode  into  Tactic,  four  leagues 
farther  on,  at  half-past  one  o'clock.  The  barometer 
recorded  4,650  feet  ;  but  this  was  not  high  enough  to 
insure  dry  roads  at  this  season.  The  town,  of  some 
thirteen  hundred  inhabitants,  seemed  prosperous ;  the 
houses  were  of  a  better  class  than  any  we  had  yet  seen. 
and  the  gardens  were  full  of  fruit-trees  and  vegetables. 
Tree-abutilons,  both  pink  and  crimson,  were  covered  with 
blossoms,  and  peach-trees  bore  both  blossoms  and  unripe 
fruit.  The  roads  were  quite  too  muddy  for  foot-travel, 
except  in  native  undress.  The  corridors  of  the  houses 
generally  had  carved  posts  and  lintels,  and  the  central 
tile  of  the  riclge  was  usually  fashioned  into  a  cross,  with 
two  lambs  or  doves  as  supporters.  The  casa  municipal 
was   a   noteworthy  building.     In   gardens    we   saw    fine 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COB  AN.        89 

coffee-trees,  and  were  told  that  here  there  are  three 
blossomings  in  May,  and  as  many  harvestings  in  Decem- 
ber ;  the  first  and  third 
are  small,  while  the  sec- 
ond is  large.  Roses  were 
even  finer  than  at  Ta- 
mahii ;  and  a  little  girl 
srave  me    a    bunch    of   a 

o  Roof  Tile. 

kind  much  like  the  old- 
fashioned    cabbage-rose.      Most    of    the    inhabitants    are 
Indios  of  the  Poconchi  tribe. 

The  fagade  of  the  church  is  ornamented  with  dumpy 
statues  of  saints,  and  the  main  altar  is  elaborately  carved. 
We  noticed  a  picture  of  three  men  in  the  flames  of  Sheol, 
—  whether  Hell  or  Purgatory  we  could  not  tell ;  one  wore 
a  tiara,  another  a  mitre,  while  the  third  had  on  a  plain 
four-cornered  canonical  cap.  In  front  of  the  church  we 
bought  twenty  jocotes  (Spondias  sp.)  for  a  medio.  There 
are  several  varieties  of  this  plum-like  fruit,  and  the  red 
is  larger  and  better  than  the  yellow.  When  quite  ripe, 
the  rather  tender  skin  contains  a  juicy  yellow  pulp 
around  a  rough  stone.  From  the  fermented  juice  chicha 
is  made,  —  much  used  as  a  mild  intoxicant,  not  unlike 
thin  cider. 

As  we  rode  out  of  town  we  saw  that  the  suburban  gar- 
dens were  much  overrun  by  squash  and  bean  vines. 
Maiz  stood  fifteen  feet  high  ;  far  up  on  the  hills  we  saw 
cornfields  (milpas),  having  in  their  midst  dwelling-houses 
almost  in  the  clouds,  and  seemingly  built  like  swallows' 
nests  against  the  steep  hillside.  The  campo  santo,  or 
cemetery,  was  surrounded  by  adobe  walls,  and  seemed 
utterly  neglected.     We  had  seen  in  the  church,  and  now 


90  GUATEMALA. 

found  by  the  roadside,  a  fine  red  and  yellow  orchid,  and 
another  pure  white  one,  as  well  as  the  cardinal-flower. 
All  day  there  had  been  showers  ;  and  when  we  arrived  at 
Santa  Cruz,  long  after  dark,  we  were  wet,  in  spite  of  our 
ponchos  and  the  water  would  run  into  our  boots. 

There  was  no  posada,  so  our  boy  declared,  and  we  had 
to  try  the  cabildo  for  the  first  time.  The  Escuela  por 
Ninos,  or  "  school  for  ninnies,"  as  Frank  persisted  in 
calling  it,  was  placed  at  our  disposal;  but  the  floor  was 
bare,  hard  concrete,  and  we  had  no  mats,  while  there  was 
no  chance  to  hang  our  hammocks.  It  was  not  inviting  ; 
but  one  of  the  attendants  kindly  brought  two  mahogany 
settees  from  the  court-room,  and  this  was  so  hard  a  couch 
that  one  might  be  pardoned  for  going  to  bed  with  boots 
on,  —  and  mine  were  so  wet  that  I  feared  I  should  not  get 
them  on  in  the  morning  if  they  once  came  off.  We 
needed  food  quite  as  much  as  a  bed,  and  at  last  found 
rolls  and  coffee  at  a  little  shop  near  at  hand.  At  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  there  was  an  earthquake,  which 
did  not  wake  Frank,  though  it  jarred  my  bed  as  though 
some  one  had  run  against  it  in  the  dark.  This  shock 
was  felt,  as  we  afterwards  found,  at  Coban,  San  Cristobal, 
and  for  miles  around.  Slight  earthquakes  are  said  to  be 
common  enough  here,  but  we  saw  no  evidence  of  severe 
ones. 

In  the  morning  at  half-past  five,  while  Roberto  was 
saddling  the  horses,  we  visited  the  church  and  found  many 
curiously  carved  and  gilded  altar-pieces.  After  perform- 
ing our  ablutions  in  a  puddle  in  the  road,  left  by  the  last 
night's  rain,  we  got  our  coffee  and  hastened  on  our  way. 
as  it  was  Friday,  and  we  still  had  twelve  miles  to  ride  to 
Coban. 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COB  AN.        91 


This  city,  although  at  an  elevation  of  4,500  feet,  is 
surrounded  by  much  higher  hills ;  and  from  the  pass 
over  which  the  road  winds,  the  view  of  the  surrounding 
coffee-region  is  very  fine.  The  streams  were  in  flood, 
and   some   of  the  lower  plantations  were  under  water. 

Near   the  town  we 

saw  the  method  of 
raising  coffee-plants 
under  frames  cov- 
ered with  dried 
ferns.  Crossing  a 
good  bridge,  we 
came  up  a  paved 
street,  and  soon 
after  ten  o'clock 
rode  into  the  Hotel 
Aleman,  where  we 
had  a  very  comfort- 
able room  and  two 
beds  with  sheets 
and  pillow-cases,  — 
the  first  we  had 
seen  since  we  left 
Livingston ;  and  we 
were  not  now  com- 
pelled to  sleep  in  our  clothes.  Our  breakfast  was  the 
best  we  had  found  since  we  had  been  in  the  country, 
and  consisted  of  soup,  sausages,  frijoles  negras,  wheaten 
rolls,  fried  plantains,  tortillas  tostadas,  tomato  salad,  fried 
potatoes,  and  good  coffee.  The  potatoes  here  are  native, 
seldom  larger  than  an  English  walnut,  and  very  mealy. 
In  the  patio  of  the  hotel  bloomed  roses  and  violets. 


In   Hotel   Aleman. 


92 


GUATEMALA. 


As  this  Hotel  Aleman  was  the  first  house  of  solid 
masonry  we  had  entered  since  our  arrival  in  Guatemala, 
we  examined  it  with  some  curiosity.  Externally  it  was 
very  plain,  —  white  with  stucco,  of  one  story,  and  roofed 
with  red  tile.  Windows  were  few,  and  the  large  door  of 
two  valves  was  generally  closed  in.  a  rather  inhospitable 
manner  to  an  outsider.  Once  within  the  portal,  however, 
the  scene  changed  wonderfully.  Before  us  was  a  court- 
yard (patio),  into  which  the  house  opened.     Directly  in 


csa  |  T 


APOSENTO 


H><J      J 


r^^i 


APOSENTO 


APOSENTO 


APOSENTO 


Plan  of  the    Hotel   Aleman. 


front  was  a  plain  building,  used  as  kitchen  (cocina)  and 
stable ;  on  the  left  was  the  garden  (huerto) ;  on  the 
right,  the  corridor,  on  which  opened  the  sala,  or  parlor, 
an  apartment  or  two,  and  the  dining-room  (comedor).  In 
the  corner  was  a  large  concrete  tank  to  catcli  rain-water. 
Our  own  apartment  was  at  the  left  of  the  entrance,  and 
was  quite  large,  with  tiled  floor  and  separate  corridor. 
A  curtain  was  suspended  between  two  of  the  pillars  to 
shade  the  dining-room,  and  hammocks  could  be  swung  in 


'   ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.       93 

every  direction  when  needed.  Birds  hung  in  cages,  and 
flowers  in  baskets  ;  and  the  neglige  air  of  everything,  ex- 
cept the  neat  little  Indian  women  who  did  the  household 
work,  added  to  the  comfortable  feeling  the  place  inspired. 
We  walked  up  a  paved  street  an  eighth  of  a  mile  to 
the  casa  municipal,  and,  passing  an  arched  gateway  in  the 
clock-tower,  entered  a  spacious  plaza,  with  the  cabildo  on 
our  left   and  the  foundations   of  the  new  palace  on  the 


The   Cabildo  of  Coban. 


brow  of  the  hill  opposite.  Directly  before  us  was  the 
church  and  connected  buildings, — once  a  college  of  priests, 
since  confiscated  by  the  Government,  and  now  used  as 
a  music-school,  blacksmith's  shop,  and  for  other  purposes. 
The  main  part  of  the  Plaza  was  paved  ;  and  here  were 
congregated  several  hundred  Indios,  mostly  of  the  Quekchi 
tribe,  buying,  selling,  and  bartering.  We  bought  twenty- 
five  fine  granadillas  (fruit  of  the  passion-flower)  for  a 
medio,  and  as  many  jocotes  for  the  same  price.     Deli- 


94 


GUATEMALA. 


cate  straw  hats,  woven  in  two  colors,  were  three  reals 
and  a  medio ;  cotton  napkins  (servilletas)  of  native 
weaving,  two  reals  ;  palm-leaf  umbrellas  (suyacales),  such 
as  every  mozo  de  cargo  carries,  one  real.  There  was  a 
fair  supply  of  raw  cotton,  cacao,  brown  sugar,  tallow, 
soap,  and  blankets. 


Interior  of  the   Church   at   Coban. 


The  church  was  very  large  and  interesting  ;  but  the 
front  was  disfigured  by  two  distinct  main  entrances,  and 
the  bell-tower  was  too  low  for  the  church.  AYithin, 
there  was  the  simplest  architecture  imaginable,  —  plain 
timber  posts,  square,  with  a  slight  chamfer,  with  pillow- 
block  capitals  and  stucco  bases ;   an  uneven  tiled  floor ; 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.        95 


and  side  altars  of  poor  design,  sometimes  painted  to 
imitate  marble.  On  one  of  these  altars  a  famished  cur 
was  eating  candle-ends ;  on  another  were  the  three  cruci- 
fixes of  Calvary,  —  the  repentant  thief  being  a  young 
man  of  personable  form  and  features,  while  the  other 
was  a  bald-headed,  bearded  villain  ;  a  very  impressive 
object-lesson  we  afterwards  saw  in  many  churches.  A 
fair  St.  Sebastian  was  the  only  picture  of  tolerable 
merit. 

We  called  on  the  excellent  Jefe  politico,  Don  Luis 
Molina,  who  received  us  very  politely,  although  our  call 
must  have  been  a  great 
bore  to  him,  as  he  spoke 
no    English,    and    my 


Spanish  was  very  lame. 
The  Indian  women  in 
the  streets  all  dress  alike, 
—  in  a  skirt  of  indigo- 
blue  cotton,  generally 
figured  in  the  loom  ;  and 
their  long  and  abundant 
black  hair  is  carefully 
bound  in  red  bandages 
(listones)  reaching  near- 
ly to  the  ground.     Their 

stature  is  below  medium ;  they  seem  modest  and  good- 
natured.  The  blue  cloth  is  woven  in  rude  looms,  sev- 
eral of  which  we  inspected,  and  the  thread  is  dyed 
in  vats  of  masonry  in  the  house-yard.  The  threads 
are  dressed  in  the  loom  and  dried  by  a  few  coals  in  a 
potsherd  placed  beneath  the  warp.  A  border  is  woven 
at  each  edge,  and  also  in  the  woof,  at  intervals,  to  mark 


Pattern  of  Cloth. 


96  GUATEMALA. 

the  length  of  a  dress-pattern.  A  common  design  is 
given  on  the  previous  page,  —  the  lines  being  light  blue 
on  dark.  The  lines  of  light  filling  are  carried  outside  the 
selvage,  and  of  course  are  easily  broken ;  otherwise  the 
cloth  is  coarse  and  strong,  in  widths  of  a  vara,  or  thirty- 
three  inches.  The  weavers  were  very  obliging,  and 
pleased  to  have  us  inspect  their  work. 

The  soil  here  is  a  rich  red  loam,  and  coffee  grows  bet- 
ter than  elsewhere  in  the  country.  Coffee-trees,  well- 
trimmed  and  loaded  with  crimson  berries,  were  in  every 
garden,  and  violets  and  strawberries  were  in  blossom. 

The  domestic  architecture  was  certainly  not  imposing, 
but  it  was  substantial,  and  perfectly  suited  to  the  climate. 
Houses  were  generally  but  one  story  in  height,  built  of 
masonry  and 'covered  with  stucco,  around  a  patio  to- 
wards which  the  tiled  roof  inclined,  covering  a  wide 
veranda  as  Avell  as  the  house.  The  windows  on  the 
street  projected  slightly,  and  were  protected  by  strong 
iron  grills.  Many  of  the  streets  were  paved,  and  drains 
and  culverts  jorovided  to  remove  the  rain-water.  As 
there  is  no  aqueduct,  water  is  brought  from  springs  or 
caught  from  the  roofs  during  the  frequent  rains.  We 
were  told  it  had  rained  incessantly  for  the  last  ten  days, 
and  the  wet  clouds  still  rested  on  the  surrounding  hills, 
giving  a  slightly  gloomy  aspect  to  the  otherwise  fine 
views  in  all  directions.  The  meat-market  was  outside 
the  Plaza,  and  a  single  glance  was  enough ;  but  the  gen- 
eral market  was  so  attractive  that,  after  a  quiet  night's 
rest  (we  were  of  course  far  more  wearied  by  sight-seeing 
than  by  any  day's  travel),  we  turned  our  steps  thither  in 
the  early  morning.  In  our  search  for  mules  we  came  to 
the   blacksmith  in  the  cloisters.     He  was   an  American 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COB  AN.        97 


(del  Norte) ;  and  it  was  said  that  when  he 
was  drunk  he  could  shoe  a  mule  better  than 
others  could  in  their  soberest  moments.     He 
had   been   drinking  when  we   found    him ; 
but     he    gave    us    some    information, 
took  us  to  his  den  hard  by,  where 
his  family  consisted  of  a  native  wife 
and    a    black   monkey,    and    gave 
Frank  the  skin  of  a  quetzal  (Pha- 
romacrus    mocino).      This     skin    was 
so  beautiful  that  it  put  us  on  the  search 
and  we  found  a  senora  who  had  a  mod- 
erately large  collection  of  these  and  other 
bird-skins,  which  are  brought  in  by  the 
Indios    from    the    mountains    of    Alta 
Verapaz. 

The    quetzal   (pronounced    kezal)    is 
the  national  emblem,  and  is  decidedly 
a  bird  of  freedom,  as  it  never  survives 
captivity,  even  when  taken  in  earliest 
life.     In  ancient  days  none  but  the 
royal  family  could  wear  the   beau 
tiful  plumes.     At  present  the  In- 
dios  bring  the  skins  from  the 
mountains  in  considerable  num- 
bers, their  value  depending  on 
the  length  of  the  tail-plumes, 
which  sometimes  exceeds  three 
feet.      As  the  female   is  very 
plain,  without  the  beautiful  tail 
of    the  male,  she  escapes  the 
hunters,  and  consequently  pre- 


Quetzal. 


98  GUATEMALA. 

serves  the  species.  The  wing-coverts  and  tail-feathers  of 
the  male  are  of  a  superb  peacock-green,  changing  to  in- 
digo, the  inner  breast  scarlet,  and  the  wings  very  dark. 

We  went  to  the  campo  santo,  on  a  hill  westward  of 
the  town,  which  is  reached  by  a  flight  of  a  hundred  and 
sixty  concrete  steps ;  the  whole  was  built  at  the  cost  of 
one  pious  man.  Several  shrines  on  the  way  up  made 
convenient  resting-places  for  those  who  used  those  steps. 
—  like  the  Golden  Stairs  at  Eome  for  knee-worship  and 
penance.  In  one  of  these  shrines  was  a  lamp  of  native 
make,  in  form  of  a  bird  with  many  necks.  The  chapel 
on  the  top  was  small,  and  the  doorway  so  low  that 
I  struck  my  head  violently  in  coming  from  the  dark 
interior. 

Except  the  noble  pine-trees  on  the  top,  there  was 
nothing  attractive  in  this  last  resting-place.  Some  grave- 
diererers  were  making  merry  over  a  small  and  shallow 
grave  they  had  just  finished,  and  we  gladly  turned  from 
the  calvario  to  the  fine  views  townward.  At  night  the 
regimental  band  gave  us  some  agreeable  music  (perhaps 
national  airs,  certainly  unfamiliar  tunes) ;  and  as  the 
music  died  away  in  the  distant  streets  we  fell  asleep,  to 
be  awakened  at  day-break  by  the  drums  and  fifes  calling 
the  men  of  military  age  to  the  regular  Sunday  inspection. 
We  were  present  at  the  roll-call  in  the  Plaza  ;  and  of 
all  absurd  military  sights,  this  was  the  chief  !  Soldiers 
in  every  costume  and  of  all  sizes  stood  in  line,  much  as 
they  arrived  at  the  rendezvous,  and  solemnly  answered 
to  their  names.  Would  that  I  could  present  a  photo- 
graph of  this  "  Fal staff's  Regiment "  to  my  readers  ! 

After  coffee  Frank  and  I  went  to  church.     The  Indian 
women  were  all  kneeling  on  the  tiled  floor,  and  formed 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.        99 


the  bulk  of  the  worshippers.  A  few  men  stood  or  knelt, 
with  striped  blankets  thrown  gracefully  over  their  shoul- 
ders. Mahogany  benches  between  the  side  altars  gave 
us  an  opportunity  to  sit  comfortably  and  study  the  in- 
teresting scene 
before  us  while 
we  listened  to 
the  very  fine  or- 
chestra (consist- 
ing mostly  of 
Germans),  which 
occupied  benches 
in  the  midst  of 
the  nave.  Far 
away  in  the  loft, 
over  the  door,  a 
bass  drum  and 
fife,  and  still  far- 
ther out  of  doors 
rockets  and  ex- 
plosions, accom- 
panied or  empha- 
sized the  music. 
The  sacrament 
of  the  commu- 
nion was  being  administered  to  worshippers,  —  apparently 
in  both  kinds ;  the  wine  in  a  sort  of  sop,  while  the  wafer 
was  carried  by  an  attendant.  All  through  the  long 
service  the  women  remained  devoutly  kneeling  on  the 
tiled  floor. 

After  church  the  market  was  more  active  than  usual, 
and   we    spent    the    time    before    almuerzo    in    lounging 


Indio  of    Coban. 


100  GUATEMALA. 

through  it.  In  the  afternoon  we  were  made  happy  by 
the  arrival  of  Santiago  and  our  mozos,  with  our  luggage 
in  perfect  order ;  and  not  long  after  the  Jefe  Don  Luis 
called,  and  assured  us  that  we  should  have  all  the  mozos 
we  needed  to  carry  our  luggage  onward.  We  had  de- 
cided to  take  the  unusual  road  to  Quiche,  about  which 
even  the  Jefe  could  give  us  little  information,  and  we 
found  no  one  else  who  knew  more ;  so  we  decided  to  send 
our  heavier  luggage  direct  by  Salama  to  Guatemala  City. 
while  we  took  with  us  only  one  mozo  to  carry  those 
things  we  needed  by  the  way. 

In  the  evening  we  turned  again  to  the  church  to  hear 
the  vesper  service.  The  spacious  edifice  was  dimly 
lighted  by  the  candles  on  the  altars  and  pillars,  and  men 
and  women  knelt  all  over  the  rough  floor.  A  choir  of 
female  voices  was  singing  as  we  entered,  and  soon  the 
officiating  priest  was  conducted  by  candle-bearing  acolytes 
to  the  altar.  The  responses  by  the  choir  and  orchestra 
(organ,  violin,  flute,  and  violoncello)  were  very  impres- 
sive, the  musicians  often  joining  their  voices  to  the  music 
of  their  instruments.  The  Indian  drum,  made  of  hides 
rudely  stretched  over  the  hollow  trunk  of  a  tree,  boomed 
from  the  remote  part  of  the  church,  and  bombs  and 
rockets  exploded  outside  in  a  most  effective  manner.  A 
black-robed  young  priest  entered  a  confessional  near  where 
I  was  sitting,  and  a  veiled  female  at  once  knelt  at  the 
side,  while  others  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  moved 
quietly  out  of  earshot.  The  whole  service  was  very  sol- 
emn ;  and  the  clouds  of  incense  from  the  swinging  cen- 
sers of  the  Indian  boys  partly  concealed  the  tinsel  and 
tarnished  gilding  of  the  uncouth  altar,  and  even  cast  a 
glamour  over  the  huge  doll,  which,  most  gaudily  dressed, 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  WESTWARD  TO  COBAN.     101 

represented  the  Queen  of  Heaven.  The  decaying  church, 
so  painfully  out  of  repair  by  daylight,  was  covered  with 
respectability,  even  with  sanctity,  by  the  shadows  of 
night.  One  cannot  but  feel  with  sadness  that  the  offices 
of  a  religion  held  so  sacred  here  in  centuries  gone  by 
should  be  so  lightly  regarded,  and  that  the  church  build- 
ings reared  by  so  much  labor  and  often  unselfish  devotion 
should  now  be  cared  so  little  for,  even  in  this  State  of 
Verapaz,  where  the  Church  gained  an  ascendency  over 
the  Indios  which  the  iron-clad  and  iron-hearted  Conquis- 
tadores  had  never  done. 

Monday  was  spent  in  photographing  views  in  the  neigh- 
borhood and  hunting  for  mules.  Of  these  we  agreed  to 
take  three  for  our  use  all  through  the  country  at  a  charge 
of  $150;  but  when  we  unsaddled  them  at  our  hotel  we 
found  they  all  had  sore  backs,  and  accordingly  sent  them 
home.  In  the  evening  I  went  with  the  postmaster  (a 
Kentuckian)  to  an  examination  at  the  Colegio  de  Li- 
bertad.  Three  ladino  lads  did  most  of  the  reciting  in 
arithmetic,  botany,  zoology,  and  history;  and  a  certain 
doctor  took  the  role  of  chief  examiner,  —  evidently  quite 
as  much  bent  on  displaying  his  own  knowledge  as  that 
of  his  pupils.  I  had  to  ask  a  few  questions,  which  were 
understood  and  promptly  answered. 

In  the  morning  we  visited  the  Government  storehouse 
for  aguardiente.  The  inspector  wanted  us  to  taste  the 
fire-water,  which  was  so  strong  that  it  seemed  to  blister 
the  tongue.  The  sale  of  this  liquor  is  a  Government 
monopoly,  yielding  a  very  considerable  revenue.1  A 
distiller  at  this  place  has  a  license,  for  which  he  pays 
four  hundred  dollars  per  month ;    and  he  must  furnish  a 

1  In  1882,  $1,266,042.43,  or  about  one  fifth  of  the  total  revenue. 


102 


GUATEMALA. 


minimum  of  sixty-five  bottles  per  diem,  paying  twenty-five 
cents  a  bottle  for  all  over  this  amount.  All  the  product 
is  I  nought  to  the  public  store,  where  it  is  tested  at  50°; 
and  the  retailers  send  in  their  written  orders  for  the 
number  of  bottles  they  require.  The  estancas  (or  drink- 
shops)  pay  forty  dollars  per  month.  The  unfortunates 
who  drink  take  a  small  tumblerful  at  a  time. 

I  bought  a  mare  —  yegua  color ada  —  for  sixty  dollars  ; 
and  as  all  bills  of  sale  and  receipts  must  be  in  Spanish, 
we,  with  the  help  of  the  postmaster,  composed  the  fol- 
lowing simple  affair  on  stamped  paper :  — 

Sdben  :  Coban,  13  de  Novr.  de  1883. 

Que  yo  Miguel  Reyes  viciuo  de  Coban,  Alta  Verapaz,  he 
yendido  y  vendo  a  Dou  Guillermo  T.  Brigham  una  yegua 
colorada  con  el   hierro  del  margen  en  la  soma  de  sesenta 
,  m  pesas  en  efectivo.     En  constancia  firmo  yo  el  vendidor. 


k^    Vtc* 


The  paper  is  not  only  stamped,  but  also  water-marked, 
and  is  for  sale  at  the  principal  shops.  As  the  stamps  are 
changed  every  two  years,  the  Government  has  to  redeem 
all  stamped  paper  on  hand  at  the  end  of  each  biennial 
period. 


Cuartillo  of   Guatemala  (enlarged   three  times). 


CHAPTER   IV. 

FKOM    COBAN    TO    QUEZALTENANGO. 

BY  Wednesday  we  had  captured  two  mules ;  and 
these,  in  addition  to  our  mare,  —  all  being  well 
shod,  —  enabled  us  to  leave  Coban  accompanied  by  a 
capital  mozo  de  cargo,  who  carried  my  photographic  outfit. 
Santiago  rode  one  mule,  I  the  other  ;  and  Frank  had  the 
mare,  who  was  a  little  wild  at  first,  but  soon  became 
very  tame  and  attached  to  us  by  kind  treatment.  After 
trying  to  get  away  for  three  days,  we  started  early  in 
the  morning,  and  nearly  forgot  to  look  at  the  barometer, 
which  was  my  constant  companion  ;  but  after  we  were 
in  the  saddle  the  little  dial  was  consulted,  and  the  needle 
indicated  an  elevation  of  forty-four  hundred  feet.  No 
barometer  was  needed  to  mark  the  elevation  of  our  spirits 
on  getting  on  the  road  again.  As  far  as  Santa  Cruz 
we  retraced  our  steps.  Our  mozo  kept  up  with  us,  car- 
rying our  photographic  and  cooking  utensils  easily.  And 
now  this  little  town,  in  the  early  morning,  was  far  more 
attractive  than  when,  wet  and  hungry,  we  came  to  it  be- 
fore. On  this  visit  there  was  more  to  eat,  and  from  a 
tree  by  the  wayside  we  bought  twenty-five  oranges  for 
three  cents,  and  also  some  good  bananas.  Our  breakfast 
was  very  satisfactory,  although  eaten  in  a  dirty  house  full 
of  filthy  children.  At  two  we  started  on  a  good  road 
for  San  Cristobal,  where  we   arrived  in  an  hour   and  a 


104  GUATEMALA. 

half.  This  little  town,  of  some  four  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, is  surrounded  by  hills  of  great  beauty ;  but  the 
Laguna  is  an  insignificant  body  of  water.  As  there  is 
no  posada,  we  rode  into  the  Plaza,  and  had  a  capital 
room  assigned  us  in  what  was  once  a  monastery,  —  now 
confiscated  to  public  uses.  Our  comida  was  obtained  at 
the  house  of  an  aged  seiiora  to  whom  the  polite  coman- 
dante  conducted  us.  We  found  that  Thursday  and 
Sunday  were  the  principal  market-da}^,  that  the  town- 
clock  chimed  the  quarters,  that  there  were  unworked 
mines  of  silver  and  lead  close  at  hand,  and  that  the 
maguey  grew  abundantly  there.  We  also  watched  the 
process  by  which  the  rotted  leaves  are  macerated  and 
washed  in  the  brook  which  flows  through  the  town,  and 
we  saw  the  resulting  pita  spun  into 
cords  for  hammock-weaving. 

The  priests'  kitchen  was  roofless ; 
but  the  great  cooking-range  was  in- 
tact, being  built  of  brick,  with  per- 
haps a  dozen  pot-holes  of  graduated 
sizes,  —  the  largest  being  cut  from 
the  corners  of  four  tiles,  the  smaller 
ones  from  the  edges  of  two.  Besides 
this  range,  which  occupied  the  middle 
of  the  kitchen,  there  were  two  large  cooking-benches. 

The  road  to  our  next  stopping-place  was  remarkably 
good,  and  the  scenery  very  fine,  —  the  road  winding 
along  the  side  of  a  mountain  and  overlooking  deep  val- 
leys in  which  the  night-clouds  still  lingered.  By  the 
wayside  we  saw  a  cascade  of  calcareous  water,  which 
petrified  twigs  and  leaves  in  its  reach.  By  eleven  o'clock 
we  rode  into  a  sugar-plantation  belonging  to  President 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.       105 

Barrios,  now  in  the  charge  of  an  old  schoolmate  of  his, 
Juan  Prado.  There  both  sugar  and  coffee  were  culti- 
vated, and  much  fine  imported  stock  kept.  It  was  but 
one  of  the  many  fincas  belonging  to  the  President,  where 
he  has  endeavored  to  improve  the  agricultural  stand- 
ard of  his  country  and  the  native  stock  as  well.  The 
cane  was  of  the  ribbon  variety,  and  of  fair  quality ;  but 
the  mill  was  simply  a  vertical  twenty-inch  iron  roll- 
mill  turned  by  four  oxen.  There  was  but  one  open 
kettle,  with  no  clarifier ;  and  the  inspissated  syrup  was 
run  into  wooden  moulds  and  cooled  into  very  dark  hemi- 
spherical blocks  (panela),  —  a  form  of  sugar  much  in 
demand  among  the  Indios. 

Seilor  Prado  received  ns  most  hospitably,  and  set  be- 
fore us  bananas,  anonas,  and  limas,  or  sweet  lemons ; 
then  brought  us  large  glasses  of  a  warm  liquid  made 
from  rice  and  sugar,  —  not  at  all  to  our  taste,  although 
a  favorite  drink  of  the  mozos.  The  buildings  at  the 
President's  finca  were  neither  pleasant  nor  convenient  \ 
but  a  large  roof,  substantially  framed,  was  being  walled 
in  with  hewn  pine-planks  three  inches  thick,  each  plank 
representing  an  entire  tree.  In  this  building  men  were 
grating  off  the  juicy  pulp  of  the  coffee-berry  in  rude 
machines ;  after  this  pulping  the  berries  are  washed , 
and  spread  in  the  sun  to  dry. 

We  here  learned  that  we  could  not  cross  the  Chixoy 
(pronounced  chisoy)  River  that  afternoon,  as  the  wire 
suspension-bridge  had  been  swept  away  the  last  year,  and 
the  man  whose  duty  it  was  to  haul  travellers  across  on 
ropes  would  not  be  there  so  late  in  the  day  ;  we  were  con- 
sequently obliged  to  yield  to  the  importunities  of  our  host 
and  stay  over  night  at  Primavera.     To  entertain  us,  in 


106  GUATEMALA. 

the  afternoon  Senor  Prado  took  us  to  a  mound  which  the 
new  roadway  had  just  grazed  ;  and  together  we  dug  out 
fragments  of  fine  pottery  and  bits  of  human  bones  much 
decayed,  —  the  lower  third  of  a  left  femur  and  a  frag- 
ment of  a  pelvis  being  the  most  distinctly  human.  Some 
earthen  vessels  had  been  found  here  and  sent  to  the 
Museo  Nacional  in  Guatemala  City.  The  bones  were 
mingled  with  charcoal  and  ochre,  and  often  cemented 
together  like  lime  concretions  or  fulgurites. 

We  each  had  a  tumbler  of  warm  milk  as  a  "  stirrup- 
cup  "  when  we  said  our  adios  to  our  kind  host  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  soon  after  six  we  were  on  the  road  again.  Here, 
as  so  often  again  in  the  republic,  we  found  that  the  road- 
bed was  undergoing  active  repair.  The  primitive  method 
of  removing  large  rocks  and  ledges  greatly  interested  us. 
Fires  are  kept  up  on  and  around  these  obstructions ; 
when  thoroughly  heated,  these  are  left  to  cool,  or  the 
cooling  is  hastened  by  water.  In  either  case  the  ham- 
merers have  easy  work. 

The  narrower  road  led  among  pine-forests,  where 
many  of  the  trees  had  been  girdled  and  were  slowly 
decaying, — the  comajen  being  unknown  at  this  elevation. 
Men  were  cutting  timber  for  the  President's  house  and 
for  a  new  bridge.  A  mortise  is  cut  in  the  end  of  each 
log,  to  which  the  drag-ropes  are  fastened.  We  passed  a 
pleasant  village  in  the  valley  below  us  on  our  left,  and  after 
about  nine  miles  of  poor  road  we  came  to  a  rapid  descent 
of  twenty-two  hundred  feet,  so  steep  that  we  were  obliged 
to  lead  our  mules  almost  to  the  bank  of  the  Chixoy, 
where  the  pier  on  the  side  nearest  us  had  been  under- 
mined in  the  last  flood.  The  path  ended  on  a  narrow 
rock  shelf,  where  was  fastened  a  rude  timber  frame,  from 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO. 


107 


which  two  small  and  well-worn  ropes  stretched  nearly 
two  hundred  feet  to  the  remaining  pier  on  the  farther 
bank.  A  hundred  feet  below  was  the  Chixoy,  foaming 
over  its  rocky  bed.  This  we  might  see  to  the  best 
advantage  ;  for  one  by  one  we  sat  in  a  sling  hung  from 


Rope    Bridge  over  the  Chixoy. 

a  rickety  traveller,  and,  launching  from  the  cliff,  slid 
rapidly  down  the  slack  ropes,  and  after  sliding  back  at 
the  middle,  were  hauled  up  on  to  the  remaining  pier. 
From  this  structure  we  descended  a  rough  ladder  to  the 
shore,  which  was  sandy  and  strewed  with  bowlders  and 
other  remains  of  the  action  of  higher  waters.     Dizzy  as 


108  GUATEMALA. 

our  own  passage  was,  it  was  safe  enough  compared  to 
the  crossing  of  our  animals.  By  the  help  of  Indios,  we 
stretched  a  rope  across,  and  finally  swam  all  our  mules 
safely.  Santiago  and  the  bridge-keeper  swam  splendidly 
in  the  rapid  current,  and  the  latter  was  a  fine  muscu- 
lar, lean  specimen  of  manhood.  Frank  and  I  swam  in 
as  far  as  we  dared,  and  landed  the  soaked  and  frightened 
animals.  The  bath  was  cool,  and  for  the  first  time  we 
had  no  thought  of  alligators.  While  I  photographed  the 
bridge,  Frank  went  to  the  hamlet  of  Jocote  to  get  eggs 
and  tortillas,  and  Santiago  boiled  our  coffee.  Beautiful 
butterflies  were  hovering  over  the  rounded  pumice-stones 
strewed  along  the  banks ;  and  on  a  rock  were  fine 
Achimenes,  the  Dorstenia  (which  resembles  botanically 
a  fig  turned  inside  out),  and  a  wild  Martynia. 

Starting  again  in  the  early  afternoon,  wre  found  the 
way  led  up  and  down  through  the  valley,  until  we  were 
seven  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  which  in  one  place 
quite  disappeared  beneath  the  limestone  ledges,  to  reap- 
pear some  distance  beyond.  On  either  side  the  steep  slopes 
were  covered  with  coarse  grass  ;  and  there  were  many 
small,  compact  aloes,  with  broad  leaves  and  dried  flower- 
stems  here  and  there.  Among  the  rocks  were  maguey- 
plants  and  a  few  palms,  —  these  last  seemed  quite  out  of 
place  in  this  high,  dry  country.  Under  the  pine-trees 
the  sod  was  green,  and  in  the  small  lateral  valleys  clear 
brooks  improved  the  pasturage  ;  and  here  at  the  head  of 
each  larger  gulch  we  found  the  deserted  camps  of  the 
mozos  de  cargo. 

After  many  turns  we  came  at  six  o'clock  to  the  village 
of  Chicaman,  just  as  the  rain  began  to  fall.  This  hamlet 
is  on  the  north  side  of  broken  hills,  and  overlooks  the 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.        109 

Cliixoy  valley,  —  here  of  great  depth,  but  narrow  and 
winding.  We  found  a  picturesque  little  house,  where  we 
slung  our  hammocks  in  the  best  room,  eating  our  hitevos 
and  tortillas  on  a  shrine  sacred  to  the  black  "  Lord  of 
Esquipulas."  This  shrine  is  usual  in  houses  far  from 
any  church  ;  and  here  it  was  embowered  in  leaves,  flow- 
ers, and  fruit,  —  among  the  latter  citrons  of  a  large  size 
and  the  showy  yellow  fruit  of  a  solanum.  We  were 
nearly  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  night 
was  cool,  —  a  comfortable  ending  to  a  day  altogether  too 
short  to  hold  properly  all  the  fine  weather,  beautiful  and 
changing  scenery,  and  delightful  journeying  crowded  into 
its  twelve  bright  hours. 

Before  the  sun  had  melted  the  clouds  in  the  valley 
below  us,  we  were  on  our  horses  and  slowly  climbing  a 
steep  ascent  of  eight  hundred  feet.  I  had  photographed 
the  house,  and,  turning  the  camera  on  its  pivot,  obtained 
a  view  of  the  cloudy  valley  below  :  these  views  are  be- 
fore the  reader  now.  A  league  brought  us  to  another 
Santa  Cruz,  —  a  village  pleasantly  situated,  and  about 
the  size  of  Chicaman,  consisting  of  perhaps  ten  houses. 
There  we  saw  by  the  roadside  some  fine  oranges  ;  but 
when  Frank  rode  up  to  the  house  with  his  "  j  Buenos 
dias,  senora!  ^Tiene  usted  naranjas?"  he  was  met  by 
"  No  hay "  (there  are  none).  That  phrase  we  heard 
altogether  too  frequently  on  our  journey.  In  this  case  it 
simply  meant  that  the  senora  had  no  oranges  in  the  house  ; 
but  she  added  that  we  might  for  a  medio  pick  as  many  as 
we  wanted  !  We  tried  the  several  trees,  and  filled  a  pillow- 
case with  the  fine  fruit,  —  half  a  bushel  for  five  cents  ! 

We  had  little  need  of  guides,  for  the  camino  real  had 
few  branches  between  towns  ;  but  soon  after  leaving  Santa 


110  GUATEMALA. 

Cruz  we  found  a  branch  on  our  left  which  puzzled  us  a  lit- 
tle, as  our  map  gave  no  indication  of  its  existence.  But 
we  kept  on  almost  a  league,  riding  through  a  pine-forest 
on  a  nearly  level  road,  —  which  proved  to  be  the  right 
one,  although  the  choice  was  guess-work.  Grass  grew  be- 
neath these  noble  trees,  and  herds  pastured  in  this  park-like 
region.  It  was  most  interesting  to  see  the  acorns  inserted 
by  the  birds  in  the  pine-bark,  precisely  as  I  had  often  seen 
them  in  the  forests  of  Nevada  and  California  ;  but  with  all 
my  watching  I  could  not  catch  the  birds  at  work.  The 
acorns  that  I  dug  out,  although  frequently  dry  and  appar- 
ently abandoned,  were  free  from  worms.  The  common 
species  of  pine  (Pinns  macrojrfiylla)  had  "  needles  "  fifteen 
and  a  half  inches  long ;  and  the  Indios  were  gathering 
them  to  strew  the  floors  of  the  churches,  —  a  more  fra- 
grant carpet  than  the  rushes  of  our  ancestors.  We  fre- 
quently came  across  artificial  mounds,  which,  according  to 
Santiago,  "  were  where  houses  had  been."  At  ten  o'clock 
we  halted  at  a  little  village  which  we  were  told  was  U span- 
tan  (our  wretched  mozo  Santiago,  who  pretended  to  be 
guide,  but  knew  no  more  than  we  about  the  road,  led 
us  into  this  mistake) ;  so  we  unsaddled  and  waited  for 
almuerzo,  with  little  to  amuse  us  except  two  turkey- 
cocks,  one  white,  the  other  dark,  inseparable  companions, 
who  followed  us  wherever  we  went,  and  at  last  were 
driven  nearly  wild  by  their  attempts  to  converse  with  us. 
Not  until  two  o'clock  did  we  arrive  at  the  true  Uspantan, 
and  then  very  unexpectedly ;  for  seeing  some  women  at 
a  spring  washing,  in  a  wild  place  where  no  houses  were 
visible,  we  turned  a  low  ridge,  and  found  ourselves  in 
the  midst  of  a  considerable  Indian  town.  The  church, 
which  we  did  not  enter,  had  huge  buttresses  at  the  apse. 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.       Ill 

—  doubtless  a  precaution  against  earthquakes.  We  saw 
a  great  deal  of  pottery,  and  anona-trees  were  on  all  sides  ; 
but  the  full-grown  fruit  was  not  ripe.  We  felt  so  provoked 
at  our  waste  of  time  at  the  first  village  (whose  true  name 
we  never  learned)  that  we  did  not  care  to  stop  here,  but 
rode  out  of  the  town  through  a  deep  artificial  ravine. 
San  Miguel  Uspantan  has  some  nine  hundred  inhabitants, 
who  weave  cotton  from  the  lowlands  and  wool  from  their 
numerous  flocks ;  and  it  is  from  the  mines  near  by  that 
all  the  silver  was  obtained  for  the  vessels  of  the  church, 

—  so  says  tradition.  Ruined  walls  and  broken  aqueducts 
attest  the  former  importance  of  the  place  under  the 
Quiche   rule. 

The  road  became  a  mere  trail  until  we  came  to  Pericon, 

—  a  village  of  two  hundred  inhabitants,  whose  only  indus- 
try is  wool-dyeing  ;  and  from  this  we  climbed  the  pine-clad 
hills  to  a  height  of  over  seven  thousand  feet,  where  we 
came  suddenly  upon  a  fine  view  of  Cunen,  directly  west, 
but  several  leagues  away,  across  a  valley  twelve  hundred 
feet  deep.  I  wanted  a  photograph ;  but  the  sun  was  in 
our  faces,  we  could  not  spare  the  time,  the  day  was  almost 
done,  and  we  had  a  difficult  descent  before  us.  Although 
we  did  not  delay,  it  was  long  after  dark  when  we  rode 
into  Cunen  and  found  the  Plaza,  where  we  were  assigned 
a  good  room  in  a  confiscated  monastery  or  church  build- 
ing. We  had  a  mahogany  bench  fifteen  feet  long  and 
sixteen  inches  wide  for  our  bed,  and  a  good  table  and 
several  chairs  abundantly  furnished  our  apartment.  We 
had  our  own  candles  and  coffee ;  but  no  other  food  was 
to  be  had  except  some  ears  of  green  corn  which  we  had 
picked  by  the  way  for  our  animals,  but  which  we  were 
fain  to  eat  ourselves  when  Santiago  had  scorched  them  by 


112  GUATEMALA. 

the  embers  of  the  mozos'  fires  in  the  Plaza.  Although  the 
corridor  was  full  of  mozos  who  were  to  pass  the  night 
here,  there  was  no  noise  whatever.  We  closed  our  door 
at  six ;  and  as  soon  as  our  notes  were  made,  fell  asleep. 
The  poor  Indios  had  no  politics  to  quarrel  over,  and  we 
had  the  satisfaction  of  a  day  well  spent ;  so  there  was 
peace  and  harmony  beneath  our  roof  of  tiles. 

Every  day  the  vegetation  changed,  and  we  might  have 
constructed  an  itinerary  of  floral  landmarks ;  to-day  it 
was  a  fine  pink  dahlia  far  surpassing  in  vigor  of  growth 
and  blossom  any  of  the  cultivated  varieties.  In  such  a 
climate,  however,  this  plant  did  not  provide  for  hiberna- 
tion in  its  tuberous  roots,  of  which  it  had  none.  Acres 
of  fragrant  Stevia  perfumed  the  air,  while  Bouvardias 
and  bright  Composite  brushed  against  us  on  either  side 
of  the  narrow  pathway. 

Twelve  hours  of  solid  rest  were  not  too  much  ;  and 
while  in  the  early  dawn  our  bestias  were  being  saddled, 
I  strolled  into  the  church,  which  is  much  smaller  than 
its  ruined  predecessor  at  its  side.  In  Central  America 
the  roofless  wTalls  of  ancient  churches  usually,  if  not 
always,  enclose  a  campo  santo,  and  here  the  early  Cune- 
nans  slept  their  last  sleep  among  the  crumbling  relics  of 
their  work.  In  the  modern  church  were  two  large  mer- 
maids of  the  genuine  Japanese  type,  carved  as  supporters 
to  the  altar. 

In  the  cold,  misty  morning  we  started  without  cof- 
fee, and  at  once  began  to  climb  a  long  ascent ;  for 
Cunen  seems  to  be  built  on  a  platform  on  the  mountain 
side.  On  our  left  was  the  finest  waterfall  we  had  yet 
seen,  and  on  the  banks  were  red  violets.  The  sum- 
mit of  this  pass  was  nearly  seven  thousand  feet,    and 


FROM   COB  AN   TO   QUEZALTENANGO.  113 

a  sudden  turn  on  a  sharp  ridge  brought  us  to  another 
region  and  a  different  climate.  The  transition  was 
astonishing,  for  only  a  few  rods  behind  we  had  left  the 
rainy  season.  Before  us  was  a  vast  valley  bounded  by 
forest-clad  mountains  and  grassy  buttresses ;  but  near  and 
far  no  sign  of  human  habitation.  The  path  we  were  on 
was  the  only  token  of  man's  presence,  and  that  looked 
more  like  the  dry  bed  of  a  mountain  torrent  than  a 
public  road.  Broad-leaved  agaves  were  very  common, 
some  crowned  with  golden  blossoms  on  immense  stems, 
some  dead  after  flowering,  still  others  wantonly  hacked 
by  the  passer-by,  —  so  we  thought,  in  our  ignorance,  until 
the  too-frequent  mutilation  of  the  tough  stems  showed 
a  labor  that  could  not  be  purposeless ;  and  then  we 
remembered  that  these  "  century  plants "  flower  but 
once,  after  years  of  growth  exhausting  their  entire  sub- 
stance in  that  supreme  effort,  and  leaving  a  withered 
stem  and  shrivelled  leaves,  to  be  swept  down  the  hillside 
by  the  next  storm.  Foiled  in  its  attempt  to  flower  by 
the  decapitating  machete  of  the  mozo,  the  plant  lives  on 
for  a  longer  period,  furnishing  fibre  and  drink  from  its 
leaves.  Anona-trees  grew  at  the  very  summit  of  the 
pass,  although  we  were  assured  that  frosts  sometimes 
occurred.  Oaks  of  two  species  were  abundant,  and 
laurels  were  in  blossom.  A  rancho  built  by  the  road- 
side, a  sad  travesty  of  the  Dak  Bungalows  of  India, 
gave  us  at  least  a  chance  to  boil  our  coffee. 

A  long  and  rough  descent  brought  us  to  a  pine-forest, 
whence  at  an  elevation  of  six  thousand  feet  we  again 
looked  down  upon  the  valley  of  the  Chixoy.  Among  the 
pines  and  oaks  I  photographed  the  view.  The  little 
white-housed  town  of  Sacapulas  on  the  hillside  above  the 


114  GUATEMALA. 

right  bank  of  the  light-green  river  which  did  not  half  fill 
its  bed  ;  the  cultivated  fields  around ;  far  in  the  distance 
the  volcanic  cone  of  Tajumulco,  —  the  first  we  had  seen, 
a  token  that  we  had  left  the  limestone  mountains  of 
the  Atlantic,  and  were  looking  on  the  fire-fountains  of 
the  Pacific  coast,  —  all  these  and  so  much  more  in  this 
grand  view  before  us.  We  hardly  noted  the  contour,  the 
lines,  the  masses,  —  all  that  we  could  trust  to  the  ivory 
plate  that  should  carry  it  away ;  but  the  vivid  colors  in 
that  clear  atmosphere,  the  marvellous  tints  of  forest,  sky, 
and  river,  no  photographic  art  could  carry  away,  and  we 
must  enjoy  it  now  by  ourselves.  The  town  was  five 
miles  away,  and  three  thousand  feet  below  us ;  and  the 
descent  was  very  difficult,  owing  to  the  sharp  bits  of 
quartz  in  the  path.  In  the  valley  we  came  upon  the 
huge  cylindrical  cacti  (Cereus)  used  in  fencing.  Jocote- 
trees  were  abundant,  but  the  small  yellow  fruit  decidedly 
inferior.  Sugar-cane  grew  to  some  extent  in  gardens, 
but  fruits  and  vegetables  were  scarce.  On  the  trees  and 
fences  hung  a  light-blue  convolvulus,  —  the  most  attractive 
color  I  ever  saw  ;  and  this  with  a  smaller  white  one 
brought  the  number  of  the  "  morning-glories  "  we  had 
found  so  far  to  ten  species. 

Women  were  bathing  in  a  spring  near  the  road ;  the 
men  seem  never  to  bathe  in  public.  Over  the  river  was 
a  bridge  of  six  piers  with  simple  hewn  logs  laid  be- 
tween them,  no  plank  or  rail  of  any  kind,  although 
the  bridge  was  high  and  the  current,  even  in  ordinary 
stages  of  the  water,  very  strong.  As  our  bestias  did 
not  hesitate,  we  of  course  crossed  with  them.  A  short 
distance  up  stream  were  two  brick  and  stone  arches  of 
a  more  ancient  bridge  extending  from   the    town    side. 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.        115 

Several  piers  of  the  bridge  we  were  crossing  had  fallen  ; 
but  the  masonry  was  good,  and  they  generally  held 
well  together,  forming  bowlder-like  masses,  on  which  new 
piers  had  been  built :  in  one  case  this  process  had  been 
repeated.  No  doubt  the  bridge  will  soon  break  down 
again ;  and  two  wire  cables  are  stretched  from  cliff  to 
cliff  to  provide  transit  in  case  of  accident.  We  went  up 
a  steep  paved  street  to  the  Plaza,  where  Senor  Placido 
Estada,  the  comandante,  assigned  us  quarters  in  the 
cabildo,  and  exerted  himself  to  find  us  a  boarding-place. 
Whether  the  climate  was  favorable,  I  know  not ;  but  we 
were  always  very  hungry  when  we  were  where  food  could 
be  got :  where  it  was  wanting  we  did  not  care  for  it. 
Here  we  did  full  justice  to  the  senora's  cinnamon- 
flavored  chocolate  whipped  to  a  froth. 

The  church  was  small,  and,  like  that  of  Cunen,  built  at 
the  right  of  an  older  and  much  more  extensive  edifice 
now  shattered  by  earthquakes  and  used  only  as  a  burial- 
place.  We  climbed  the  bell-tower  and  found  one  bell 
with  the  date  1G83,  another  with  that  of  1773  ;  all 
were  bound  to  the  supporting  crossbeams  by  raw-hide 
thongs.  The  chief  ornament  of  the  Plaza  was  an  ancient 
Ceiba-tree  (Eriodendron)  of  immense  size  and  tradi- 
tionary antiquity.  Below  the  terrace  of  the  Plaza  was 
a  court,  in  which  a  fountain  of  odd  design  furnished 
water  for  the  town.  Animals  were  fed  here  over  the 
gravestones  that  paved  the  court,  and  Frank  remarked 
that  in  an  earthquake  country  people  chose  stable  ground 
for  their  graves.  Our  photographing  attracted  such 
a  crowd  that  we  walked  away  to  the  ruined  bridge. 
Originally  this  was  nine  feet  wide  and  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  long.     Its  age  we  could  not  learn;  but 


116  GUATEMALA. 

a  large  sand-box  tree  (Hum  crepitans)  seven  and  a  half 
feet  in  circumference  had  grown  up  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  paved  approach,  tearing  up  the  stone  floor  with  its 
slow,  irresistible  power,  and  another  large  tree  of  the 
fig  family  was  persistently  fingering  the  cracks  in  the 
ancient  wall.  The  tiles  used  in  the  arches  were  thin  like 
those  in  old  Roman  structures,  and  the  mortar  was  gen- 
erally harder  than  the  terra-cotta.  Frank  sketched  the 
bridge,  and  we  followed  in  thought  the  river  until  it 
became  the  Rio  de  la  Pasion,  then  as  the  Usumacinta 
(the  ancient  Rio  de  los  Lacandones)  flowing  through  the 
richest  land  and  most  genial  climate,  by  the  ruins  of  the 
ancient  cities  of  the  earliest  men,  and  among  the  vil- 
lages of  the  unconquered  tribes  to  the  shores  of  that 
Bay  of  Campeachy  where  Votan  gave  his  laws  to  the 
children  of  the  forest. 

Even  in  this  retired  spot  we  became  an  attraction  to 
the  unemployed  on  this  Sunday  afternoon  ;  and  we  slowly 
sauntered  back  to  the  cabildo,  measuring  on  our  way  the 
trunk  of  a  dead  ceiba-tree  forty  feet  in  circumference 
above  the  buttresses.  A  game  of  ball  was  going  on  under 
the  tree  in  the  Plaza.  Wooden  balls  five  inches  in  di- 
ameter, not  very  round,  were  shoved  about  with  paddles. 
In  the  evening  two  young  men,  at  the  request  of  the  co- 
manclante,  played  on  the  flute  and  guitar  for  us  a  number 
of  Spanish  airs. 

In  all  these  towns  the  carcel,  or  prison,  is  simply  a  room 
in  the  cabildo  with  grated  windows  and  door,  and  separate 
rooms  are  often,  but  not  always,  provided  for  women.  We 
saw  but  few  occupants  in  the  prisons  of  the  towns  we 
passed  through. 

We  made  exceedingly  comfortable  beds  of  the  public 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.        117 

documents  in  the  register's  office,  and  I  must  confess 
to  reading  one  of  these  marriage-records,  which,  as 
usual,  was  entered  with  great  particularity,  filling  a  folio 
page.  Comfortable  as  this  "marriage  bed",  was,  we 
were  in  the  saddle  the  next  morning  at  five  o'clock  ; 
and  leaving  our  adios  for  the  kind  comandante,  followed 
the  river  bank  for  some  distance  in  the  mist.  Not  half  a 
league  from  the  town  we  came  to  a  ruined  church  of  con- 
siderable size,  evidently  shattered  by  earthquakes.  Our 
path  led  directly  through  a  campo  santo,  and  even  over 
the  graves,  which  were  usually  covered  with  tiles  crossed 
and  edged  with  white  paint. 

We  crossed  the  dry  bed  of  a  river,  —  certainly  at  some 
seasons  difficult  to  ford,  —  and  came  upon  a  good  level 
path  extending  along  the  river  side  for  a  mile ;  and  then 
by  a  sudden  turn  we  climbed  out  of  the  valley  up  a  steep 
hill  of  decomposing  rock,  coming  to  a  grassy  plain  on  the 
top.  There  we  met  Indios  loaded  with  pottery,  —  some 
with  huge  cdntaras  of  red  clay  so  large  that  two  made  a 
load  ;  others  with  twelve  fifteen-inch  spherical  pots,  all  of 
good  workmanship.1  The  water  by  the  roadside  was  all 
whitish,  and  not  inviting.  The  highest  part  of  the  pass  was 
6,250  feet ;  only  a  few  hundred  feet  below  it  we  found  a 

1  The  uses  of  pottery  in  Central  America  are  almost  universal ;  it  supplies 
not  only  water-cisterns,  flour-barrels,  ovens,  stoves,  wash-tubs,  baths,  coffee- 
pots,  stew-pans,  but  dishes,  lamps,  floors,  roofs,  and  aqueducts.  Some  made 
of  white  clay  is  exceedingly  light,  and  the  patterns  are  often  very  tasteful. 
The  tinajas  (water-jars)  and  cdntaras  are  also  light,  but  very  strong,  while  the 
cazuelas,  or  flat  pans,  and  the  coffee-pots  are  quite  fire  proof.  I  have  seen  a  house- 
wall  built  of  pots  not  unlike  a  Yankee  bean-pot  in  shape,  the  mouths  opening 
into  the  house  being  "pigeon-holes"  for  the  human  inhabitants  ;  while  those 
opening  out  of  doors  were  the  nesting-places  of  pigeons  and  hens.  The  roof- 
tiles  are  not  in  great  variety,  usually  semicylindrical  or  conical,  and  seldom  orna- 
mented ;  floor-tiles  are  large,  square,  and  not  very  thick.  The  porous  water-jars 
suspended  in  a  current  of  air  keep  their  contents  refreshingly  cool. 


118  GUATEMALA. 

beautiful  liliaceous  plant,  and  some  of  the  mozos  we  passed 
carried  superb  clusters  of  a  purple  orchid  which  we  after- 
wards found  parasitic  on  trees.  Another  valley  and  an- 
other steep  gravelly  slope  to  nearly  eight  thousand  feet, 
and  then  we  had  a  view  over  a  vast  extent  of  mountainous 
country.  No  lake  or  river  relieved  the  thirsty  landscape, 
though  rain-clouds  hung  on  the  horizon  and  dropped  their 
showers  in  the  far  west.  Corn  was  in  tassel ;  and  where 
we  rested  at  noon  on  a  high  plateau,  7,825  feet,  we  found 
it  in  milk.  There  we  saw  the  maguey  used  as  a  hedge- 
plant,  —  and  a  very  impervious  fence  it  made.  From  this 
high  land  there  was  a  gradual  descent  towards  the  south. 
Far  away  to  the  left  we  saw  the  church  of  San  Pedro,  sur- 
rounded by  its  little  adobe  village,  and  soon  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  still-distant  Santa  Cruz  del  Quiche,  high 
enough,  but  seemingly  in  a  valley,  for  mountains  like  the 
hills  about  Jerusalem  guarded  it  on  every  side.  The 
soil  near  the  road  was  very  thin,  and  covered  what 
seemed  to  be  indurated  tufa.  Deep  pools  of  water  were 
formed  in  this  hard  substance. 

As  we  came  at  last,  after  a  hard  day's  ride,  into  the  un- 
interesting town,  we  found  the  streets  all  carefully  named, 
as  Avenida  de  Barrios,  scdida  por  Mejico  (Barrios  Street, 
the  way  to  Mexico),  —  which  was  as  useful  as  it  would 
be  to  put  a  sign  on  the  corner  of  Broadway,  "  Cortland 
Street,  the  way  to  Philadelphia."  All  the  inhabitants 
seemed  to  be  in  the  Plaza,  listening  to  a  band  and  watch- 
ing some  fair  acrobats  who  tumbled  on  mats  and  swung 
on  a  horizontal  bar.  After  waiting  some  time  before  the 
locked  doors  of  the  Hotel  del  Centro,  the  proprietor  came 
home  and  let  us  in.  Tough  meat,  frijoles,  bread,  and  tol- 
erable chocolate  were  all  we  could  get ;  and  the  vile  dogs 


FROM   COB  AN   TO   QUEZALTENANGO.  119 

were  even  more  troublesome  than  usual.  Our  beds  were 
made  up  in  the  dining-room,  and  we  had  pillows  and 
sheets  again,  —  the  only  good  things  this  posada  afforded. 
The  morning  was  overcast ;  but  Frank  and  I  walked  to 
the  campo  santo,  nearly  a  mile  from  town.  High  walls 
of  adobe  surrounded  it,  and  a  locked  gate  kept  us  out ;  but 
we  peered  in  over  the  heaps  of  white  lilies  (IAlium  ean- 
didum)  and  marigolds  offered  at  the  entrance,  and  saw 
masonry  tombs  of  very  bizarre  forms,  some  painted  white, 
others  red  and  blue,  or  blue  and  white,  in  checks.  The 
meadows  all  around  were  intersected  by  wide  ditches 
which  we  had  no  little  trouble  in  crossing,  the  bare  legs 
of  the  natives  rendering  bridges  quite  unnecessary.  When 
one  was  beyond  our  jump  we  threw  in  the  washing-stones 
on  the  bank  until  we  had  enough  for  stepping-stones. 
Returning  to  town,  we  paid  our  respects  to  the  Jefe  poli- 
tico, Don  Antonio  Rivera,  who  is  a  young  man  exceedingly 
polite  and  obliging,  and  we  found  practice  made  it  much 
easier  to  converse  than  when  we  met  the  Governor  of  Co- 
ban.  Don  Antonio  showed  us  fine  specimens  of  the  woods 
of  his  neighborhood  which  had  been  prepared  for  an  exhibi- 
tion in  Guatemala  City;  but  he  could  not  tell  us  the 
names,  and  sent  for  an  old  Indio  who  was  better  informed. 
This  Indio  also  served  to  show  us  what  the  Jefe  evi- 
dently considered  a  very  amusing  garment,  —  his  trousers, 
which  were  in  the  usual  black  woollen  jerga,  cut  up  in 
front  as  high  as  mid  thigh,  so  that  they  can  be  rolled  up 
behind  when  the  wearer  girds  up  his  loins  to  work. 
Cloths  of  various  kinds  were  brought  in  for  our  inspection, 
and  the  prices  given.  These  seemed  high,  for  the  material 
is  only  a  vara  (thirty-three  inches)  wide,  and  is  sold  in  vara 
lengths.    Not  satisfied  with  showing  us  all  that  the  market 


120  GUATEMALA. 

afforded,  the  kind  Jefe  furnished  ns  with  a  guide  to  the 
ancient  city  of  Utatlan,  or  Gmnarcaah,  and  a  mozo  to 
cany  m}T  photographic  kit. 

A  walk  of  three  long  miles  westward  brought  us  to  a 
great  disappointment.  It  is  human  to  like  what  one  has 
not  got ;  Americans  have  an  extreme  respect  for  ruins,  and 
we  were  no  exception  to  the  mass  of  our  countrymen. 

Stephens  has  described  the  remains  of  this  powerful  city 
of  the  Quiche  kings,  and  has  figured  the  very  sacrificial 
altar  of  Tohil  down  whose  steep  sides  were  hurled  the 
quivering  bodies  of  the  human  victims.  Three  centuries 
and  a  half  is  a  long  period  for  people  of  a  new  country  to 
look  back  over  ;  but  that  time  has  passed  since  the  Con- 
quistadores  destroyed  the  citadel  and  moved  the  inhab- 
itants to  the  site  of  the  present  Santa  Cruz  del  Quiche. 
Forty  years  ago  the  towers,  faced  with  cut  stone,  the  altar, 
some  houses,  and  even  the  outer  walls,  were  in  good  pres- 
ervation ;  but  all  these  have  since  been  torn  down,  and 
the  neatly  cut  stone  removed  to  repair  a  miserable  mud 
church  in  the  town.  These  blocks  of  travertine  were 
generally  of  uniform  size,  18x12x4  inches;  and  mingled 
with  them  were  blocks  of  pumice  cut  to  one  third  of  this 
size.  The  Plaza  was  still  paved  with  a  smooth  layer  of 
cement  exactly  an  inch  thick,  not  unlike  the  cliunam  of  the 
East  Indies,  and  entire,  except  where  the  modern  vandals 
had  cut  through  it  in  search  of  foundation-stones  which 
they  are  too  stupid  to  cut  from  the  quarries  much  nearer 
the  town.  Five  towers  are  plainly  visible  still,  though 
now  but  insecure  piles  of  rubbish,  the  casing  having  dis- 
appeared. In  several  there  are  small  cavities  not  large 
enough  for  rooms,  but  sufficient  to  serve  as  ladder  wells, 
and  under  one  our  guide  assured  us  was  the  entrance  to  a 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.        121 

long  tunnel  extending  to  the  distant  hills ;  but  when  we 
insisted  upon  his  pointing  out  the  place,  he  utterly  failed. 
Not  an  arrow-head  could  we  find,  although  plain  pottery 
in  fragments  was  abundant. 

The  whole  fortress  was  built  on  a  promontory  sur- 
rounded, except  at  one  narrow  neck,  by  steep  barrancas 
several  hundred  feet  deep  ;  and  to  the  rivers  at  the  bottom 
there  were  probably  tunnels  from  the  summit,  as  the 
ancient  Indios  were  very  expert  in  underground  work.  It 
is  from  these  tunnels,  most  likely,  that  much  of  the  pum- 
ice-stone was  obtained.  Across  the  barranca  towards  the 
town  are  the  remains  of  three  fine  watch-towers,  from 
which  a  good  view  of  the  entire  fortress,  as  well  as  of  the 
surrounding  country,  may  be  obtained.  Remains  of  other 
similar  towers  were  seen  far  up  the  mountain  slopes  on 
either  side,  and  from  these  the  warders  signalled  with  fire 
or  smoke  the  approach  of  hostile  visitors. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  palace  of 
the  Quiche  kings  was  in  such  a  state  of  preservation  that 
its  plan  could  be  easily  traced,  even  to  the  garden.  But 
unfortunately  a  small  gold  image  was  discovered  in  the 
ruins ;  and  this  determined  the  Government  to  search 
for  treasure,  which  tradition  has  always  located  in  the 
ruins  of  Utatlan.  In  this  search  the  palace  was  utterly 
destroyed ;  and  hardly  a  wall  would  have  been  left  stand- 
ing had  not  the  Indios,  indignant  at  the  wanton  destruc- 
tion of  their  once  famous  capital,  become  so  turbulent 
that  explorations  were  no  longer  safe.  In  1834  a  commis- 
sion from  the  capital  made  a  full  and  careful  report  on 
the  condition  of  the  ruins,  and  on  this  report  Stephens 
largely  rests  in  his  interesting  account  of  Quiche.  Even 
in  1840,  at  the  time  of  his  visit,  he  found  many  traces 


122 


GUATEMALA. 


which  are  now  gone,  especially  the  Sacrificatorio.  which 
was  a  quadrilateral  pyramid,  with  a  base  of  sixty-six 
feet  on  the  side,  and  a  height,  in  that  ruined  condition,  of 
thirty-three  feet.  One  side  of  this  awful  relic  of  human 
misery  was  plain,  though  bearing  traces  of  painted  figures 
of  animals ;  but  the  other  three  sides  were  supplied  with 
steps  in  the  middle,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  illustration, 
taken  from  Catherwood's  sketch.     These  steps  were  only 


Quiche  Altar  of  Tohil   (Sacrificatorio). 


eight  inches  wide  on  the  tread,  while  the  risers  were 
seventeen  inches,  —  a  proportion  that  must  have  made 
the  descent  very  awkward  for  the  priests  if  they  were 
as  corpulent  as  the  more  modern  monks. 

We  met  on  our  return  a  marimba,  carried  by  two  men, 
while  the  three  players  followed,  beating  out  clear  and 
agreeable  notes.  A  frame  between  seven  and  eight  feet 
long  and  twenty-nine  inches  high,  supports  on  cords 
thirty   strips  of  hard    wood,   beneath   each   of   which  is 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO. 


123 


a  wooden  resonator  duly  proportioned  for  tones.       The 
music  was  always  attractive,  and  just  now  it  drew  a  long 


procession  in  honor  of  the  gymnasts  of  the  day  before, 
who  followed  the  marimba  on  horseback. 

In  the  Plaza  we  bought  jicaras,  or  calabash 1  chocolate- 

1  Calabashes  are  of  great  importance  and  of  universal  use  as  household 
utensils.     Some  varieties  are  long  and  slim,  and  these,  split  lengthwise,  make 


124 


GUATEMALA. 


cups,  —  three  for  a  medio.  Other  interesting  things  for 
sale  were  small  crabs  dried  on  spits,  dried  shrimps  of 
large  size,  raw  cotton  white  and  brown,  floss  silk,  cloths 

both  cotton  and  woollen,  fresh 
and  preserved  squash,  bread, 
sugar-candy,  and  eaa  sucre 
colored  pink,  tin-ware,  pot- 
tery, ropes  and  bags  of  pita, 
leather  sandals,  sugar-cane, 
coconuts,  baskets,  and  cheap 
foreign  wares.  In  this  town 
of  six  thousand  inhabitants 
there  are  very  few  manufac- 
tures. We  saw  a  woman 
boldly  eating  the  game  she 
caught  in  a  little  girl's  hair. 
I  had  before  seen  ao;ed  Ha- 
waiian  women  engaged  in  this  fascinating  pursuit ;  but 
they  always  seemed  ashamed  to  be  seen  by  strangers. 
Not  so  the  Quiche  woman ;  the  wretch  even  held  her 
hand  out  for  us ! 

To  the  fountain  in  the  midst  of  the  Plaza  men  and 
women  came  for  water.  The  latter  all  carried  their  water- 
jars  on  their  heads,  while  the  men  always  slung  them  on 
their  backs.  Convicts  were  at  work  on  the  streets,  or 
canwing  stone  for  the  church.  They  were  chained  in 
pairs,  having  shackles  about  the  waist  and  ankles.     The 

ladles;  the  very  spherical  ones  make  hoxes,  flat  ones  form  bowls  and  platters, 
while  those  of  the  shape  illustrated  become  chocolate-cups.  The  black  color 
is  permanent,  although  scarcely  penetrating  the  hard  surface  ;  it  is  made  by  a 
bean  that  T  have  not  been  able  to  identify.  Calabash-cups,  although  very 
light,  are  strong  and  durable.  I  have  one,  given  me  by  Don  Ramon  Viada  of 
Trujillo,  which  is  as  delicate  as  porcelain. 


Jicara. 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.        125 

cabildo  was  the  most  important  building  in  the  town,  as 
the  parish  church  had  so  decayed  that  the  walls  of  the 
entire  nave  had  had  to  be  removed.  The  new  construction 
of  adobe,  with  trimmings  of  stone  taken  from  the  ruins, 
will  not  last  many  years.  The  whole  town  looks  dingy, 
and  even  dirty,  owing  to  the  universal  use  of  adobe.  The 
roof -tiles  are  not  so  well  made,  nor  so  carefully  kept  in  place, 
as  in  some  of  the  smaller  towns  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
some  of  the  streets  are  paved,  there  are  some  side-walks, 
subterranean  street-drains,  and  street-lamps  or  candles. 

The  Quiche  Indios  of  the  present  day  are  not  so  good- 
looking  as  the  Mayas.  The  women  are  badly  dressed, 
and  not  neat ;  the  men  wear  slashed  trousers,  loose 
jackets,  closed  in  front  and  put  on  like  a  shirt,  and 
in  cold  weather  a  narrow  blanket,  or  poncho,  with  fringed 
ends.  Some  of  these  ponchos  are  figured,  and  most 
of  them  have  a  border,  more  or  less  elaborate,  woven 
at  each  end.     These  Indios  are  small  of  stature  and  light 

o 

limbed,  with  scanty  but  common  beards,  round  faces,  and 
small  hands  and  feet ;  they  are  by  no  means  as  modest  as 
those  of  Alta  Verapaz,  and  evidently  unused  to  seeing 
strange  white  men.  Women  carry  their  babies  on  the 
back  while  washing  clothes  at  the  fountains  or  by  the 
streams.     At  home  hammocks  serve  well  for  cradles. 

Vegetation  is  not  free  from  pests  here,  for  we  saw 
black  warts  on  the  oaks,  and  smut  ( Ustilago  segetum)  on 
the  corn.  The  corn-stalks  are  of  the  size  and  appearance 
of  our  field-corn ;  but  the  juice  is  much  sweeter,  and 
Frank  considered  it  quite  as  good  as  that  of  the  withered 
sugar-cane  brought  up  here  from  the  coast.  Everywhere 
marigolds  (calendula)  scent  the  air,  and  bunches  of  them 
are  wilting  at  every  altar  in  every  church. 


126  GUATEMALA. 

The  fiesta  is  in  commemoration  of  the  Conquest,  —  so 
we  were  told ;  and  it  was  rather  curious  to  see  the  de- 
generate Indios  decorating  their  houses  and  holding  high 
holiday  far  from  the  memory  of  the  horrible  tortures 
inflicted  on  their  ancestors  in  this  same  conquest.  Red 
flags  hung  from  every  door  and  window,  —  fit  emblems  of 
the  bloody  event ! 

The  excellent  mozo  Ramon  Ghisli,  who  had  come  with 
us  from  Coban,  was  now  ready  to  return.  We  would 
gladly  have  engaged  this  capital  fellow  to  go  with  us 
all  the  way,  but  it  was  impossible ;  so  I  gave  him  extra 
pay,  and  with  his  carcaste *  full  of  onions  he  started  back 
on  his  long  journey.  Our  mules  were  not  very  good,  so 
we  decided  to  send  them  back  and  get  others  here. 
Ramon  had  kept  well  up  with  the  animals,  had  helped 
bravely  in  crossing  the  Chixoy,  and  had  yielded  implicit 
obedience  to  Santiago,  who  persisted  in  ordering  about  a 
man  worth  three  of  himself.  Ramon  got  safely  home, 
and  delivered  the  mules  all  right. 

A  little  alcalde  in  green  spectacles  exerted  himself  to 
find  animals  for  us,  as  we  were  anxious  to  get  away, 
since  the  hotel  was  full  of  dirty  children  and  even  dirtier 
dogs,  and  the    food   far   worse   than   anything   we    had 

1  It  is  well  to  explain  that  the  framework  used  for  carrying  small  articles 
on  the  back  is  called  Jcataure  by  the  Caribs,  and  carcaste  by  the  Indios  of  the 
interior.  Ramon  carried  in  his  not  only  all  my  photographic  apparatus,  — 
the  camera  and  box  of  plates  being  carefully  wrapped  in  water-proof  mate- 
rial, —  but  also  our  cooking  utensils  and  his  own  luggage.  After  he  left  us  we 
found  so  much  trouble  in  hiring  suitable  carcastes  that  we  purchased  one  for 
a  few  reals  and  fitted  it  up  with  pita  cords,  which  served  our  purpose  very  conve- 
niently.  When  a  desirable  view  presented,  a  whistle  brought  the  mozo  to  our 
side,  and  from  ten  to  fifteen  minutes  only  were  required  to  unpack,  set  up, 
expose  one  or  two  plates,  repack,  and  remount  our  animals.  It  may  be  interest- 
ing to  state  that  in  all  this  long  journey,  where  plates  were  carried  in  this  way, 
not  one  was  broken,  nor  was  a  piece  of  the  apparatus  damaged. 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.       127 

hitherto  found.  We  had  rain  that  night  and  the  next 
day ;  but  our  new  horses  were  brought  in  fair  season. 
When  we  came  to  settle  the  bill  we  found  the  wretched 
landlord  had  charged  seven  dollars,  given  the  bill  to  his 
wife,  and  hidden  himself.  Finding  expostulation  with  the 
senora  of  no  effect,  I  despatched  Frank  to  lay  the  case 
before  the  Jefe,  while  I  tried  abuse ;  this  had  the  desired 
effect  of  bringing  the  landlord  from  his  hiding-place.  I 
called  him  a  ladron  (robber),  and,  to  the  intense  amuse- 
ment of  the  many  bystanders,  described  the  meat  he  had 
set  before  us  as  mulct  solamente  (nothing  but  mule).  The 
boys  caught  the  phrase,  and  we  heard  it  shouted  at 
the  poor  man  until  we  departed.  The  Jefe  sent  the 
comandante  and  two  soldiers  to  bring  the  "  robber "  to 
reason,  and  mine  host  thereupon  told  us  to  pay  what  we 
pleased.  The  comandante  suggested  three  dollars  as  the 
proper  price ;  but  we  gave  him  four,  and  soon  after  nine 
o'clock  we  scraped  the  mud  of  this  town  from  our  feet. 

The  road  led  down  immense  barrancas,  where  we  saw 
deposits  of  pumice  some  eight  hundred  feet  thick.  Min- 
gled with  this  layer  were  large  blocks  of  lava,  seemingly 
ejected  from  some  crater  eruption ;  but  where  was  the 
crater  ?  We  passed  a  little  hamlet  marked  San  Sebastian 
de  Lemoa  on  the  map ;  but  all  the  people  had  gone  a 
fishing  on  a  lake  near  by,  whose  borders  were  swarming 
with  ducks.  Four  leagues  from  Quiche  we  came  to  Santo 
Tomas  Chichicastenango.  This  is  a  neat,  attractive  little 
village,  hardly  as  large  as  its  name  is  long,  with  clean 
streets,  a  fountain  and  eucalyptus-trees  in  the  Plaza,  and 
an  ancient  church.  Close  at  hand  are  the  ruins  of  an 
older  town,  which  we,  to  our  regret,  had  no  time  to  visit. 
At  the  cabildo  we  were  politely  received,  and  our  beasts 


128  GUATEMALA. 

of  burden,  both  biped  and  quadruped,  unloaded.  The 
Jefe  had  telegraphed  to  Santo  Tomas  for  horses  and  a 
mozo,  and  we  were  assured  that  after  almuerzo  these 
would  be  ready.  In  this  faith  we  strolled  about  the 
town.  The  church,  as  usual,  attracted  our  attention ;  and 
here  for  the  first  time  we  saw  the  Indios  burning  in- 
cense, which  seemed  to  be  gum  copal,  or  precisely  the 
same  material  their  ancestors  used  in  idol  worship.  Mari- 
golds were  strewed  all  over  the  floor,  and  the  odor  was 
oppressive,  even  without  the  incense  and  innumerable 
candles.  The  altar  was  covered  with  plates  of  beaten 
silver  of  no  very  good  workmanship.  An  image  of  a 
man  on  horseback,  with  a  beggar  by  his  side,  excited  our 
curiosity,  which  was  not  destined  to  be  satisfied,  although 
our  mozo  declared  it  was  Santiago  (Saint  James).  We 
pushed  our  explorations  outside  the  church,  and  climbed 
by  an  external  staircase  to  the  organ-loft,  which  was 
floored  with  hewn  boards  not  otherwise  smoothed.  An 
ancient  organ,  hardly  larger  than  an  ordinary  davenport, 
stood  in  the  midst,  wholly  apart  from  the  bellows,  which 
were  worked  by  a  suspended  lever  much  as  an  ordinary 
forge-bellows.  The  keys  were  deeply  worn  by  long  use, 
horny  fingers,  or  both,  and  they  covered  two  octaves  and 
a  half ;  the  stops  were  simply  strips  of  hard  wood  pro- 
jecting from  the  side  of  the  case,  and  beyond  the  reach 
of  the   organist.1     The  locks  on  all  the   doors  were  of 

1  There  were  many  similar  organs  in  the  old  churches,  —  some,  indeed,  re- 
moved to  the  lumber-rooms  ;  but  they  were  so  securely  fastened  together  that 
I  could  not  get  at  the  internal  mechanism  without  too  much  disturbance,  and 
I  concluded  that  the  instruments  were  imported  entire.  No  modern  organs  of 
an*  size  were  seen  outside  of  the  metropolitan  cathedrals;  and  yet  even  a  large 
organ  is  very  easy  to  transport.  One  little  instrument  that  I  tried  was  not  in 
tune,  but  the  pipe-tones  were  good.  In  the  old  church  at  Trujillo  Frank 
found  a  modem  French  cabinet-organ  of  remarkably  sweet  tones. 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.        129 

wood,  and  most  primitive  in  design.  All  the  worship- 
ping Indios  seemed  very  devout,  chanting  their  prayers 
in  their  native  tongue  to  the  bare  wall  or  a  door-post, 
and  they  paid  no  attention  to  us  as  we  passed  them, 
although  outside  they  generally  bowed  respectfully. 

In  a  little  shop  at  a  street  corner  we  found  our 
almuerzo  (there  is  no  posada) ;  and  a  very  good  one  it 
was.  Our  hostess  was  a  very  respectable  woman,  whose 
house  was  well  furnished  (sewing-machine  and  rocking- 
chairs  among  other  comforts),  being  quite  a  different  per- 
son from  the  one  who  in  our  own  country  would  occupy 
her  position,  —  a  rumseller.  While  we  were  waiting,  two 
half-tipsy  Indios  came  in,  drank  a  small  tumbler  of  aguar- 
diente, and  soon  settled  themselves  quietly  on  the  side- 
walk for  a  drunken  sleep,  undisturbed  by  the  passer-by. 

Our  way  from  Chichicastenango *  led  out  over  a  narrow 
ridge  or  series  of  ridges,  with  deep  barrancas  on  either 
side.  The  road  was  good,  and  hedged  part  of  the  way ; 
but  our  animals  were  of  the  poorest  kind.  My  little 
horse  went  slowly,  and  at  last  his  legs  seemed  to  collapse, 
and  he  came  to  the  ground,  leaving  me  standing  over 
him.  He  was  not  worn  out,  he  was  a  "  trick  horse." 
For  miles  Frank  and  I  walked  on,  leading  our  bestias. 
It  grew  very  dark  and  misty  ;  lightning  flashed  in  the 
distance,  and  the  trees  were  dripping  with  dew.     With 

1  In  stumbling  over  this  crooked  name,  it  occurs  to  me  that  it  would  he  i'air 
to  my  readers,  who  are  perhaps  less  familiar  with  Indian  names,  to  state 
briefly  how  they  are  pronounced.  G  is  always  guttural ;  ch  is  like  tche ;  h  is 
strongly  aspirate  ;  j  is  pronounced  like  h ;  x  is  sh ;  u  is  the  French  ou  ;  v  is 
equivalent  to  w ;  and  the  vowels  have  the  Italian  values.  Of  the  Indian 
names  the  signification  is  not  always  known,  but  there  are  certain  terminations 
common  enough  and  well  understood;  as  tcpec,  a  mountain  or  high  thing,  in 
Alotepec,  Quezaltepec,  Coatepeque,  Olintepeque,  Jilotepeque.  Those  who  are 
curious  in  these  matters  will  And  another  note  in  the  Appendix. 

9 


130  GUATEMALA. 

every  desire  to  get  on  to  Solola,  we  agreed  that  in 
the  darkness  it  was  unwise  to  travel,  and  we  looked 
anxiously  for  a  camping-place,  although  the  muddy 
ground,  dripping  bushes,  and  threatening  sky  gave  no 
hope  of  a  comfortable  night.  Twice  we  were  misled  by 
the  gleam  of  fireflies,  whose  glow  is  so  steady  that  we 
mistook  it  for  light  in  a  distant  house.  As  we  could  find 
no  safe  place  for  a  camp,  a  high  bank  on  one  side  and  a 
seemingly  deep  ravine  on  the  other  bordering  the  narrow 
cart-road,  we  walked  on  in  the  utter  darkness  until  we 
almost  ran  into  two  ox-carts  with  a  squad  of  white- 
coated  soldiers,  who  told  us  we  had  lost  our  path  in  the 
dark,  and  were  on  the  road  to  Totonicapan,  and  a  long 
league  beyond  Encuentros.  We  returned  with  them  to 
the  latter  place,  where  we  found  comfortable  lodgings  in 
the  house  prepared  for  the  expected  visit  of  the  President. 
We  occupied  his  room,  which  was  temporarily  furnished 
with  plenty  of  Vienna  bent-wood  furniture,  and  decorated 
with  a  full-length,  life-size  painting  of  President  Barrios 
and  a  small  portrait  of  his  wife.  Two  bedsteads  of  the 
box  variety  were  quite  bare,  as  His  Excellency  always 
carries  his  bedding,  and  we  did  not.  After  some  excel- 
lent chocolate,  but  no  other  food,  we  spread  our  blankets 
and  slept. 

How  cold  that  Thursday  morning  was  when  we  started 
at  daybreak  !  The  thermometer  marked  46°  at  half-past 
six  o'clock,  and  we  were  at  an  elevation  of  eight  thousand 
feet.  We  had  a  fine  carriage-road  for  our  travel  to-day, 
on  which  I  used  Frank's  mare,  while  he  tried  his  luck 
with  my  '-trick  horse."  For  a  while  all  went  well,  and 
Frank  made  the  little  beast  go  ahead,  while  I  stopped  to 
pick  up  some  lava  fragments  in  one  of  the  cuttings  ;  and 


FROM   COB  AN   TO   QUEZALTENANGO.  131 

so  when  Frank's  turn  came  I  could  see  perfectly  how 
odd  it  looked  to  have  a  horse  collapse  under  his  rider. 
Along  the  road  were  elder-trees  (Sambucus)  pollarded  like 
our  willows  ;  as,  however,  they  were  not  shady,  but  in 
the  way  of  fine  views,  we  voted  them  a  nuisance.  It  was 
down  hill  all  the  way,  and  as  we  approached  Sololii  the 
view  of  the  Lago  cle  Atitlan  and  the  volcano  was  dis- 
appointing. We  had  surfeited,  perhaps,  on  the  glories  of 
landscape,  and  had  expected  something  finer,  with  an  im- 
mense lake,  several  volcanoes  of  more  than  average  size, 
and  a  town  whose  white  houses  and  red-tiled  roofs  were 
almost  concealed  in  trees  and  flowers.  However  critical 
we  might  be,  we  were  glad  enough  to  see  the  town,  and 
not  less  to  find  a  posada,  where  we  had  a  room  to  serve 
as  store-room  and  bedchamber.  We  at  once  sent  back  our 
miserable  horses  ;  and  after  reporting  to  the  comandante, 
as  in  duty  bound,1  we  strolled  through  the  Plaza,  send- 
ing Santiago  in  search  of  bestias  for  our  next  stage. 
Here  we  first  found  the  ripe  fruit  of  the  sapote  (Lucuma 
mammosa),  and  did  not  like  it.  The  outside  was  brown, 
rough,  and  leathery;  the  meat  reddish,  surrounding  a 
smooth  nut,  and  the  whole  flavored  with  cinnamon.  Some 
sapotes  were  as  large  as  a  coconut,  but  generally  they 
were  not  half  that  size.2     The  Plaza  was  full  of  people 

1  It  is  the  duty  of  every  person  to  whose  house  strangers  come  to  pass  the 
night  to  report  to  headquarters  the  name,  where  from  and  whither  bound,  so 
that  we  could  be  tracked  all  over  the  republic  from  the  central  telegraph  office 
in  Guatemala  City,  —  often  very  useful. 

2  There  is  no  little  confusion  in  the  nomenclature  of  the  sapotes,  or  sapodillas. 
What  is  usually  called  sapote  in  Guatemala  does  not  belong  to  the  genus  Sapota, 
but  to  an  allied  genus  Lucuma,  and  is  known  in  the  West  Indies  as  the  mammee- 
apple.  The  true  sapote  has  several  seeds;  the  mammee  only  one.  An  allied 
genus  contains  the  star-apple  (Chrysophyllum  cainito).  The  sapoton,  or  big 
sapote,  does  not  even  belong  to  the  Sapota  family,  but  is  a  Pachira. 


132 


GUATEMALA. 


buying  and  selling.  Mule-trains  came  in  and  went  out, 
and  it  seems  that  this  is  the  great  wheat-market.  This 
grain  (trigo)  is  small  and  round,  and  the  Government  offi- 
cials weighed  each  bag,  which  should  contain  six  arrobas, 
or  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  Fat-pine  (ocote)  is 
also  an  important  article  of  commerce  here,  as  it  is  the 
principal  source  of  candle-light  among  the  Indios. 


Solola  and   Atitlan. 

The  church  is  large,  but  of  no  architectural  preten- 
sions ;  and  among  its  contents  we  noticed  several  strange 
things.  A  figure  of  Christ,  with  glass  eyes  and  long 
human  hair,  wore  a  crown  cocked  over  his  left  eye  like 
a  drunken  man.  On  the  wall  of  the  nave  was  a  water- 
color  drawing  passably  done,  representing  a  young  man 
falling  headlong  over  a  precipice,  while  through  a  sort  of 
Lutheran  window,  or  peep-hole,  in  the  sky  a  rather  young 
female  is  trying  to  catch  him  with  a   long  vine.     The 


FROM   COB  AN   TO   QUEZALTENANGO.  133 

legend  states  at  length  that  the  youth,  in  passing  along 
the  edge  of  the  terrible  precipice  above  the  Lago  one  dark 
night  (when  he  had  been  to  his  club),  mistook  the  gleam 
of  the  water  for  the  path,  and  forced  his  horse  over.  As 
he  fell,  he  breathed  a  prayer  to  the  "Mother  of  God,"  and 
she  opened  her  window  and  jerked  him  up  again  with  a 
grape-vine.  In  testimony  whereof  he  offers  this  tablet, 
etc.  Near  the  main  entrance  was  a  large  altar-piece, 
with  a  deeply  sunken  cruciform  panel  containing  a  very 
realistic  crucifix,  —  glass  eyes,  sweat,  long  hair,  and  blood- 
drops,  indeed,  everything  that  could  make  it  disgusting 
to  a  civilized  being ;  while  from  the  five  wounds  pro- 
ceeded skeins  of  crimson  thread,  —  that  from  the  side 
being  much  thicker,  —  and  all  these  knotted  together  in 
a  mass,  black  with  the  kisses  of  the  worshippers  of  the 
blood  of  Christ.  On  one  side  of  this  panel  were  painted, 
life-size,  Roman  soldiers  mocking  the  suffering  Saviour ; 
while  on  the  other  was  a  Guatemaltecan  general,  in  full 
uniform,  weeping  at  the  sad  sight,  and  using  such  an 
embroidered  handkerchief  as  the  nuns  make  at  the  pres- 
ent day.  Just  behind  him  was  an  attendant  who  had 
caught  off  his  wig  on  the  point  of  his  lance.  This  last 
feature  Frank  interprets  differently,  and  thinks  the  bald 
head  is  a  shining  casque,  while  what  I  call  a  wig  is  a 
flowing  plume.  With  all  due  deference  to  his  younger 
and  brighter  eyes,  I  submit  that  such  a  helmet  was  never 
a  part  of  the  Guatemaltecan  uniform ;  and  even  if  made 
of  such  close-fitting  shape,  would  not  have  been  painted 
flesh-color.  Unluckily  I  did  not  take  a  photograph,  to 
settle,  if  possible,  this  important  dispute. 

Frank   was    busily    asking    every    one   he   met    about 
mules ;    and  we   had   not  found   any  when,   late   in  the 


134  GUATEMALA. 

afternoon,  he  met  a  gentleman  walking  alone  in  the 
public  garden  near  the  Plaza.  He  asked  the  oft-repeated 
question  in  Spanish,  when,  to  his  surprise,  the  person 
asked  him  if  he  spoke  English.  This  proved  to  be  the 
Jefe,  Don  J.  M.  Galero ;  and  when  told  who  we  were 
and  what  we  wanted,  asked  us  to  come  to  the  Jefaturia 
in  the  evening.  As  Senor  Galero  was  hisdi  in  favor  with 
the  Government  and  beloved  by  his  people,  our  very 
agreeable  visit  was  interrupted  by  a  serenade  to  his  Ex- 
cellency ;  and  after  he  had  promised  to  send  us  his  own 
mules  that  very  night  for  our  journey  to  Totonicapan, 
we  took  our  leave. 

The  public  garden  especially  interested  me,  since  all 
the  flowers  (except  an  orange-tree)  were  such  as  I  might 
find  at  home ; 1  but  times  and  seasons  were  sadly  mixed. 
Pinks  and  gladioli,  sunflower  and  white  lily,  all  blos- 
somed together.  The  fountain  was  painted  blue  and 
white,  —  the  national  colors,  —  and  sadly  disfigured  the 
garden,  which  otherwise  was  not  laid  out  with  any 
taste. 

Our  apartment  in  this  only  hotel  in  Solola  was  com- 
pletely fire-proof  ;  walls,  roof,  and  floor  were  brick  or  tile, 
and  several  of  the  floor- tiles  were  deeply  impressed  with 
dog-tracks  (made,  of  course,  before  the  kiln),  —  much  re- 
sembling the  fossil  footprints  in  the  red  sandstone  of  the 

1  Sweet  peas  and  geraniums  in  abundance,  carnations,  marigolds,  campa- 
nula, yarrow,  pinks,  sweet-williams,  chrj'santkeinums,  iris,  scabious,  abutilon, 
poppy,  princess'-feathers,  fuchsia,  linaria,  Lilium  candidum,  peach,  evening- 
primrose,  gilliflowers,  amaryllis,  gladioli,  alyssum,  larkspur,  brugmansia, 
mignonette,  sunflower,  adenantkera,  willow,  balsams,  dablia,  spider-lily, 
canna,  kollykock,  eucalyptus,  ragged-lady,  roses  (4),  yellow  sweet-clover,  as- 
paragus, Hydrangea  hortensis,  blue  African  lily,  lupine,  Boston-pink,  wool- 
pink,  cypress,  sedum,  agave,  ckelidonium,  eupkorbia  (long-leaved),  and 
broom. 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENAXGO.       135 

Connecticut  valley.  A  low  table,  one  chair,  a  hard-wood 
table  called  a  bedstead,  furnished  this  room ;  and  there 
was  one  door  and  a  single  window,  —  the  latter,  with  its 
iron  grating,  suggesting  a  prison-cell.  It  was  clean  and 
quiet,  and  good  enough.  It  does  not  require  long  travel 
in  the  tropics  to  teach  one  that  the  less  unnecessary  fur- 
niture in  a  house,  the  fewer  lurking-places  for  cockroaches, 
centipedes,  scorpions,  snakes,  and  other  disagreeable  ten- 
ants ;  and  comparative  emptiness  decidedly  reduces  the 
temperature  of  a  room.  During  the  night  my  hammock 
broke  down ;  and  the  sympathy  Frank  expressed  as  he 
was  half-awakened  by  the  noise,  would  have  been  very 
soothing  had  he  not  fallen  asleep  again  in  the  midst  of 
it,  leaving  me  sitting  on  the  floor.  He  continued  his 
sympathy  in  the  morning,  when  the  dreadful  jar  was 
almost  forgotten. 

Early  next  morning  we  were  on  our  way,  mounted  bet- 
ter than  we  had  been ;  for  we  left  Frank's  mare  with 
Santiago  to  rest  for  a  week,  and  with  the  Jefe's  mules 
we  rode  briskly  on  to  Argueta,  —  a  small  hamlet  with  a 
deserted  convent  or  monastery,  in  front  of  which  flowed 
a  clear  cool  brook,  and  near  by  was  an  ingenio  moved  by 
water-power.  We  got  our  almuerzo  here,  early  as  it 
was,  for  we  were  warned  that  we  should  find  nothing  to 
eat  until  night.  From  Argueta  the  road  was  very  hilly, 
and  we  climbed  until  my  barometer  said  10,450  feet. 
Wheat  abounded  everywhere,  and  there  were  fenced 
threshing-floors  of  beaten  earth.  The  mozos  we  met  car- 
ried packs  of  woollen  blankets  and  redes  (nets)  of  pottery  ; 
several  had  pine-boards  hewn  smooth,  three  feet  wide  by 
eight  long.  In  the  trees  were  flocks  of  bright-green  par- 
rots.    So  many  little  streams  had  to  be  crossed  that  we 


136  GUATEMALA. 

often  wondered  if  they  were  not,  many  of  them,  parts  of 
one  rivulet  winding  in  devious  way  among  the  foot-hills. 
Except  in  the  ravines,  where  we  had  to  zigzag  down  and 
up  while  the  toiling  mozos  patiently  climbed  the  banks 
too  steep  for  horses,  the  road  was  generally  over  a  good 
country  for  road-building.  In  one  place,  however,  we 
had  to  climb  a  stairway  paved  with  stone  set  on  edge 
and  walled  with  masonry.  In  places  earthen  pots  were 
built  into  the  walls  to  collect  water  for  the  wayfarer, 
and  tiles  were  used  to  cap  the  masonry.  This  extended 
more  than  a  mile,  and  took  us  up  just  a  thousand  feet 
by  the  barometer.  We  could  not  learn  its  age  nor  the 
builders ;  but  it  is  old,  and  some  of  the  mozos  attributed 
it  to  the  Jesuit  Fathers.  It  is  much  out  of  repair,  and  I 
fancy  that  most  of  the  travel  over  it  is  on  foot.  The  views 
were  fine  all  the  way ;  but  we  knew  our  journey  was 
long,  and  the  daylight  all  too  short  to  permit  us  to  wait 
for  our  mozos  to  come  up  with  the  camera.  Indeed,  I 
hardly  cared  to  reduce  to  black  and  white  the  glorious 
colors  the  light  was  painting  on  every  side.  The  greens 
of  the  forest  faded  into  the  blues  of  the  sky  as  in  the 
turquoise,  gold  and  silver  glittered  from  the  streams, 
and  the  very  gray  of  the  rocks  seemed  to  be  richer  and 
more  varied  than  usual. 

On  the  hill-sides  were  ancient  potato-fields  only  culti- 
vated by  digging  the  tubers ;  and  this  process  has  gone 
on  for  years,  —  the  Inclios  digging  at  the  bottom  of  the 
slope  as  potatoes  are  wanted,  leaving  enough  for  seed, 
and  arriving  at  the  top  by  the  time  the  rains  begin.  As 
the  small  stems  were  quite  dead  and  dried  up,  we  could 
not  ascertain  the  species  of  this  aboriginal  potato ;  but 
it  was  certainly  not  the   common  potato   of  cultivation 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.       137 

(Sokmum  tuberosum).  The  Indios  declared  the  potatoes 
had  never  been  planted,  but  their  ancestors  had  dug  them 
from  the  remotest  time,  —  en  todo  tiempo,  senor. 

Around  us  on  the  mountain-top  were  spruce-trees  of  im- 
mense size,  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  pines  two  feet  larger ; 
and  beneath  these  giants  of  the  forest  flocks  of  black 
sheep  were  feeding,  watched  by  shepherdesses  not  many 
shades  lighter.  As  black  cloth  is  much  worn  by  the  Indios, 
they  cultivate  the  black  sheep  rather  than  pay  the  dyer. 
Cactus  on  pine-trees,  crimson  sage,  and  a  minute  violet 
not  an  inch  high,  were  novelties  by  the  roadside.  Not  a 
few  of  the  pine-trees  had  been  hacked  with  machetes  until 
a  considerable  niche  was  formed  in  the  stem  ;  and  the  pitch 
dripping  into  this  receptacle  was  then  fired  to  light  a  camp. 
We  found  no  villages  on  this  road,  but  we  were  seldom 
out  of  sight  of  some  herdsman's  hovel.  Late  in  the  after- 
noon we  came  to  the  brow  of  the  cliff  that  bounds  the  im- 
mense valley  of  Totonicapan  on  the  east.  The  sun  was 
low  on  the  horizon  before  us,  but  I  was  absorbed  in  the 
beauty  of  this  grand  view.  On  our  left  a  waterfall  dashed 
over  the  rocks ;  below  us  were  the  white  walls  of  the  In- 
dian City  we  had  so  ■  greatly  wished  to  see ;  roads  and 
streams  traversed  the  valley ;  and  the  whole  surface,  as 
well  as  the  slopes  far  up  the  hills,  was  cut  into  numerous 
fields  of  wheat  and  maiz  of  many  shades  of  green  and 
brown.  Far  in  the  distance  smoke  rose  over  Quezalte- 
nango,  and  the  broad  highway  between  was  plainly  visible 
for  many  miles.  My  mozo  was  close  at  hand,  and  in  ten 
minutes  I  had  two  photographs  caught  in  my  box ;  after 
which  we  began  the  very  steep  descent. 

"We  found  lodging  at  the  Hotel  de  la  Concordia.     Our 
little  room  contained  three  board  bedsteads  and  one  wash- 


138  GUATEMALA. 

stand.  Usually  we  had  no  wash-stand,  but  either  per- 
formed our  ablutions  at  the  courtyard  fountain,  or  else 
had  our  valet  Santiago  pour  water  over  us  from  a 
calabash. 

As  we  had  a  letter  to  the  Jefe,  David  Carney,  I  went 
at  once  to  present  it,  in  order  to  get  our  animals  for  the 
next  stage  as  soon  as  possible.  We  found  his  house,  —  a 
fine  one,  the  best  in  the  town,  with  beautiful  roses  in  the 
neat  courtyard ;  but  the  Jefe  himself  was  a  dumpy  little 
Indio,  stupid  and  fat,  who  could  say  little  else  than  "  Si, 
Seilor."  After  some  delay  he  promised  us  two  mules 
in  the  morning.  In  his  parlor  I  noticed  a  fine  piano, 
evidently  in  use ;  and  there  was  a  decided  air  of  comfort 
about  the  house,  —  probably  due  to  the  lady  rather  than 
the  lord. 

That  night  was  very  cold,  and  in  the  morning  at  seven 
o'clock  the  thermometer  told  forty-five  degrees,  and  the  ba- 
rometer stood  at  8,860  feet.  As  usual,  we  went  to  church  ; 
this  was  the  largest  and  cleanest  we  had  yet  seen,  but 
the  images,  including  an  Inclio-colored  Christ,  were  perhaps 
more  hideous  than  ever.  The  church  has  now  the  old 
Plaza  (north  of  the  new  one)  all  to  itself,  and  in  addition 
a  very  large  paved  courtyard,  with  square  chapels  in  the 
outer  corners.  In  this  courtyard  we  found  a  troop  of  In- 
dian women  conducting  some  mummery  which  required 
veils  and  candles,  both  of  great  size.  Some  of  the  poor 
women  were  so  tipsy  that  they  could  hardly  care  for  their 
candles,  which  were  perilously  near  to  setting  their  neigh- 
bors' clothes  on  fire.  After  various  marches  and  counter- 
marches, songs  and  responses,  the  performance  ended  in 
a  loud  explosion.  Of  all  the  Indian  towns,  Totonicapan 
is  supposed  to  be  the  most  Indian,  and  the  people  are 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.        139 

thorough  idolaters  still,  with  hardly  the  dimmest  idea  of 
the  Christian  religion.  They  moreover  dislike  foreigners, 
as  we  found  to  our  cost.  The  fountain  and  sun-dial  in 
the  old  Plaza  were  both  much  out  of  repair,  and  in  the 
Plaza  Nueva  the  fountain  supported  a  traditional  Indian 
fresh  from  the  shield  of  Massachusetts.  Made  originally, 
as  other  men  are,  without  clothes,  he  had  been  girt  with 
stucco,  —  doubtless  because  of  the  cool  weather  and  his 
damp  station. 

Generally  the  streets  were  paved,  and  drained  in  the  mid- 
dle. They  intersected  at  right  angles;  and  as  the  houses 
had  few  outside  windows  and  the  courtyard  gates  were 
almost  always  closed,  the  town  had  a  very  dull,  deserted 
look.  We  did  peep  into  some  doors  and  windows,  in  a 
way  I  should  hardly  tolerate  in  any  other  barbarian ;  and 
by  one  of  these  window-peeps  we  discovered  a  weaver 
at  work,  who  invited  us  to  enter.  The  loom  had  two 
harnesses  worked  by  the  foot  of  the  weaver,  and  twelve 
more  pulled  by  a  boy  at  the  side;  the  bobbins  were  wound 
on  bits  of  small  bambu.  It  was  a  long  way  back  in  the 
series  of  the  evolution  of  a  modern  carpet-loom,  and  yet  it 
did  its  work  exceedingly  well,  if  slowly.  This  art  of  weav- 
ing has  been  practised  in  this  city  from  most  ancient 
times,  and  the  Indios  declare  that  the  same  utensils  have 
been  used,  without  essential  modification.  All  the  looms 
we  saw  were  on  one  pattern,  and  they  could  hardly  have 
been  simpler.  I  bought  for  four  dollars  a  large  woollen 
bed-cover  woven  in  elaborate  design,  which  kept  us  warm 
while  we  were  in  these  highlands. 

We  called  on  the  Jefe  again  as  he  was  marrying  several 
couples,  and  he  repeated  his  promise  to  procure  mules  for 
us  before  one  o'clock ;   so  we  left  him  for  a  while  and 


140  GUATEMALA. 

strolled  about  town  and  found  a  potter  at  work.  He 
used  both  white  and  dark  clay,  and  his  wheel  and  kiln 
were  similar  to  those  in  use  with  us.  At  two  the  mules 
had  not  arrived,  and  we  declared  the  Jefe  a  liar.  Frank 
must  have  called  on  him  twenty  times,  besides  the  visits 
of  ceremony  we  made  together  three  times  a  day.  After 
a  while  two  alcaldes  came  to  our  room  and  begged  us  to 
go  to  the  cabildo  and  inspect  the  mules  they  had  captured 
for  us.  Another  failure ;  for  there  was  not  one  fit  to 
carry  our  burden.  Then  they  brought  two  to  the  hotel, 
—  one  a  pack-mule  that  refused  to  be  saddled ;  then  a 
mozo  came  quite  drunk,  and  wanted  a  dollar  to  carry  our 
baggage  to  Quezaltenango.  We  told  him  to  go  to  the 
diablo,  and  he  went ;   and  so  the  day  wore  away. 

On  Sunday  morning  we  went  to  the  Plaza,  captured  a 
mozo  without  the  intervention  of  the  authorities,  and 
started  on  foot  for  Quezaltenango.  The  weather  was 
clear  and  cool,  like  a  fine  October  day  in  New  England ; 
and  there  was  white  frost  on  the  lowlands.  At  first  we 
dropped  rapidly  down,  and  then  came  to  a  fine  carriage- 
road,  in  some  places  a  hundred  feet  wide.  Except  the 
steep  descent  at  the  city  limits,  and  an  equally  steep 
ascent  about  half  a  league  beyond,  the  road  was  level, 
and  bordered  with  agaves,  some  now  in  bud. 

Just  before  we  came  to  Salcaja  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
the  plain  where  Alvarado  fought  so  desperately,  was 
wounded,  and  finally  conquered  the  brave  mountaineers. 
Though  conquered  then,  they  certainly  need  another 
Alvarado  now.  A  pale  mist  covered  the  distant  city, 
but  above  it  towered  the  volcano  Santa  Maria,  —  a  cone 
as  regular  as  those  of  Solola.  Northward  we  saw  San 
Cristobal  and  San  Francisco,  —  two   pleasantly  situated 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO.        141 

towns.  We  crossed  a  river  which  flows  into  the  Pacific 
at  San  Luis  ;  so  the  backbone  of  the  continent  was  passed, 
and  we  were  on  the  slopes  of  the  setting  sun.  We  or- 
dered our  almuerzo  in  a  little  shop,  and  as  we  waited 
for  it  we  watched  the  customers,  —  among  them  mozos, 
mostly  for  aguardiente,  women  for  eggs,  spices,  chillis, 
and  cord.  Beggars  came  also,  and  among  them  an  idiot 
girl  (the  only  one  of  this  class  we  had  seen  in  the  repub- 
lic) ;  one  received  a  drink,  another  a  handful  of  red  pep- 
pers, and  others  food. 

Before  one  o'clock  we  were  in  Quezaltenango,  having 
walked  six  leagues  in  four  hours  and  a  half,  excluding 
stops.  The  Hotel  de  Europe  proved  very  comfortable, 
and  the  table  was  good.  The  Cerro  Quemado  (Burned 
Mountain),  just  overhanging  the  city,  was  a  more  attrac- 
tive volcano  than  the  loftier  Santa  Maria ;  and  I  longed 
for  time  to  climb  to  the  broken  crater  from  whose  black- 
ened sides  the  huge  lava-stream  had  descended  towards 
the  city  (the  ancient  Exancul),  turned  suddenly  when 
almost  upon  the  outer  walls,  and  then  stopped  forever. 

The  market-place  was  very  attractive ;  for  besides  the 
bustle  of  the  builders,  who  were  piling  up  the  cut  and 
sculptured  stone  of  the  most  imposing  public  edifice  I 
have  seen  in  Guatemala,  the  many  cloth-merchants  exhib- 
ited their  brilliantly  colored  merchandise  to  great  advan- 
tage. This  is  the  centre  of  the  trade  in  native  cloths ; 
and  many  beautiful  and  durable  fabrics  are  woven  here 
and  in  the  neighborhood  from  cotton  and  wool.  The 
stone  generally  used  in  building  comes  from  the  vol- 
canoes back  of  the  town,  and  is  a  light-brown  lava.  The 
Plaza  is  double,  —  one  half  bounded  by  the  church  of  San 
Juan  de  Dios,  the  stone  penitentiary,  and  shops ;  and  its 


142  GUATEMALA. 

space  is  occupied  by  a  garden  surrounded  by  a  wall  of 
carved  stone  and  provided  with  stone  seats.  A  pond  in 
the  midst  has  a  pavilion,  or  band-stand,  on  an  island. 
The  other  half  of  the  Plaza  is  paved,  and  used  as  a 
market-place  ;  here  are  the  new  buildings  for  the 
Government. 

Near  by  the  hotel  I  saw  a  sign,  of  which  I  made  a 
note,  thinking  to  profit  thereby  ;  but  Frank  saw  it  more 
clearly  than  I  did,  and  knocked  all  the  romance  out  of  it. 
To  my  first  glance  it  read,  "  Collection  of  Young  Ladies," 

COLEGIO    NAfrE     SENORITAS 

but  to  the  critical  eye  of  my  fidus  Achates  it  was  simply 
a  National  Seminary  of  Young  Ladies ;  so  we  did  not 
venture  to  explore  it. 

The  church  of  San  Juan  cle  Dios  was  large,  and  the 
facade  ornate,  —  worthy  the  principal  church  in  a  city  of 
twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants.  The  old  organ,  of  four 
octaves,  had  been  recently  painted ;  and  in  the  two  towers 
hung  seven  bells,  —  three  bound  to  the  beams  with  raw- 
hide, as  usual,  the  others  on  yokes.  The  cloisters  adjoin- 
ing this  church 1  were  interesting,  from  the  multitude  of 
curious  paintings  they  contained,  mostly  of  Scriptural 
histories ;  and  in  them  Christ  was  always  represented  as 
a  shaven  monk,  with  the  girdle  of  the  Cordeliers.  In  the 
old  lumber-room  of  the  church  were  the  remains  of  an 
ancient  organ,  and  heads,  bodies,  and  arms  of  saints,  — 
not  relics,  but  the  membra  disjecta  of  the  dolls  that  are 
put  together  and  dressed  up  on  holy-days.  We  had  often 
seen  similar  places,  which  Frank  called  "  property-rooms ;  " 

1  It  was  here  that  the  Vice-President,  Flores,  was  torn  to  pieces  by  women 
in  the  last  days  of  the  Confederacy,  when  the  Church  was  in  power. 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO. 


143 


in  one  we  found  boxes  of  wigs  and  beards,  and  in  another 
a  figure  of  Christ  with  permanently  bent  legs,  and  staples 


Church   at   Quezaltenango. 


in  his  ankles  to  strap  him  on  to  the  mule  on  Palm 
Sunday  !  It  was  both  amusing  and  pitiful  to  see  the 
trash  used  for  religious  purposes. 


144  GUATEMALA. 

"We  went  to  the  National  Institute  and  saw  very  good 
dormitories  for  the  young  men  who  study  here.  In 
preparation  for  an  expected  visit  of  the  President, 
lanterns  were  hung  along  the  colonnades,  and  blue  and 
white  (the  national  colors)  met  the  eye  on  every  side. 
There  was  something  homelike  in  the  narrow,  crooked 
streets,  —  so  different  from  the  tasteless  rectangles  of 
most  other  Guatemaltecan  cities.  Then,  too,  they  were 
clean,  well  paved,  and  provided  with  sidewalks,  —  in 
some  places,  where  they  were  very  steep,  with  bridges 
over  the  gutters,  which  in  rainy  weather  must  be  tor- 
rents. Street-lamps  and  letter-boxes,  plenty  of  foun- 
tains (and  the  water  is  cold  and  excellent),  gave  an  air 
of  civilized  comfort  very  agreeable  to  us.  The  houses 
were  well  built,  and  usually  had  the  window  and  door- 
jambs  of  sculptured  stone.  There  were  plenty  of  win- 
dows, and  the  gates  were  often  ajar,  revealing  flowers 
and  fountains  in  many  courtyards.  Peach-trees  were 
in  blossom,  and  also  bore  half -ripe  fruit.  In  the  suburb 
Cienega  is  a  picturesque  washing-place,  or  lavadero, 
where  an  artist  has  many  a  chance  for  sketching  the 
Indias. 

WTe  saw  more  tokens  of  Sunday  observance  than  we  had 
yet  seen  in  Guatemala.  Towards  sunset  the  military  band, 
of  twenty-five  instruments,  played  for  some  time  in  the 
garden ;  but  it  was  more  amusing  to  me  to  see  the  people 
with  their  obsolete  European  costumes  and  Sunday  man- 
ners than  to  listen  to  the  music,  which  Frank  said  was 
good.  Especially  effeminate  boys  wore  very  high  heels, 
to  give  them  a  standing  in  society  they  could  never  attain 
otherwise.  The  garden  was  not  so  good  as  that  at  Solola, 
but  contained,  in  addition  to  the  list  of  that  place,  olean- 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTENANGO. 


145 


der,   daisy,  wall-flower,   pink-catchfly,   bachelor's-buttons, 
flax,  and  Canterbury-bells. 

A  city  of  nearly  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants  — 
the  majority  Indios  —  has  grown  up  gradually  on  the  ruins 
of  the  ancient  Xelahu,  until  it  is  only  second  in  impor- 
tance to  Guatemala  City.     Its  port  is  Champerico,  from 


Manuel    Lisandro    Barillas. 


which  a  railroad  extends  some  distance  into  the  interior 
(to  Retalhuleu,  1884),  and  will  one  day  enter  the  city. 
Abundant  water-supply,  schools  of  various  grades,  —  in- 
cluding a  night-school  for  artisans,  —  a  good  hospital, 
female  orphan  asylum,  convenient  public  buildings  and 
a  suitable  penitentiary,  a  bank,  public  lavatories,  and 
the   hot    springs    of    Almolonga,    are   but    some    of    the 

10 


146 


GUATEMALA. 


attractions  of  what  was  once  the  capital  of  the  province 
of  Los  Altos. 

We  had  letters  to  the  Jefe  politico  General  Manuel 
Lisandro  Barillas  ;  but  he  was  so  occupied  in  preparation 
for  the  visit  of  the  President  that  we  thought  it  best  not 
to  add  to  his   occupations  by  calling  on  him.     On  the 


Four  Alcaldes  of   Quezaltenango. 


death  of  President  Barrios,  General  Barillas  succeeded  to 
the  Presidency ;  and  so  satisfactory  was  his  administra- 
tion that  at  the  next  election  he  became  President  by 
popular  vote. 

Monday  morning  was  quite  cold  and  misty ;  but  we  pho- 
tographed the  church,  with  the  kind  co-operation  of  the 


FROM  COBAN  TO  QUEZALTEXANGO. 


147 


resident  curate,  Padre  Felipe  Sora,  who  lowered  curtains, 
opened  doors,  and  did  all  he  could  to  help  us.  When  we 
took  the  exterior  we  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention ; 
and  fortunately  the  chief  alcalde,  who  had  assured  us 
that  we  could  get  no  mozos  that  day,  as  it  was  a  fiesta 
in  honor  of  the  President,  noticed  our  performances,  and, 
being  a  personable  man,  was  seized  with  a  strong  desire 
to  have  his  ritrato.  He  offered  to  get  us  our  mozo  if  I 
would  only  photograph  him  ;  so  I  bade  him  to  the  hotel, 
explaining  to  him  that  the  portraits  could  not  be  seen 
until  I  returned  to  the  North,  and  that  I  should  charge 
him  a  dollar  for  each  picture.  Honest  soul !  he  agreed  to 
all  this ;  and  on  his  way  he  joined  to  himself  three  of  his 
colleagues.  I  sent  them  the  result  months  after,  and  in 
due  time  the  silver  dollars  were  scrupulously  returned.  In 
the  mean  time  our  alcalde  Florencio  Cortez  provided  our 
mozo,  and  we  started  to  walk  back  soon  after  two  o'clock. 
We  both  hoped  to  see  this  pleasant  city  again. 


Cuatro   Reales  of   Honduras. 


CHAPTER   V. 

FKOM    QUEZALTENANGO    TO    THE    PACIFIC. 

/^vUR  little  mozo  was  only  fifteen  years  old,  and  his 
^-^  load  was  so  heavy  that  we  had  tc  wait  for  him 
at  every  turn  in  the  road ;  until,  after  helping  the  poor 
little  fellow  for  miles,  Frank  took  the  load  himself. 
As  we  reached  the  high  ridge  where  there  is  the  last 
view  of  Quezaltenango,  we  noticed  that  all  the  mozos  — 
of  whom  there  were  many  on  the  road  —  looked  back 
at  the  city  and  removed  their  hats,  as  if  in  salutation. 
We  did  not  reach  the  hotel  at  Totonicapan  until  nearly 
eight  o'clock  ;  but  we  had  no  trouble  in  the  clear  night,  — 
except  in  trying  to  get  a  drink  at  a  way-side  fountain, 
into  which  we  nearly  tumbled  headlong. 

The  President  arrived  in  the  morning  with  a  cavalcade 
of  thirty  riders  and  several  large  mule-wagons.  The 
Plaza  was  deserted,  and  the  streets  almost  empty.  All 
the  Inclios  kept  within  doors,  and  evidently  were  not  anx- 
ious to  honor  the  chief  magistrate.  The  usual  nuisance 
of  soldiers,  however,  was  there ;  and  it  was  very  amus- 
ing to  watch  them  fire  the  guns  in  the  Plaza  for  a  salute. 
To  obtain  animals  was  our  first  desire,  and  we  tele- 
graphed to  the  Jefe  of  Solola,  who  had  promised  to  send 
his  mules  ;  but  he  answered  us  that  he  could  not,  as  he  was 
called  away,  with  all  his  attendants.  So  we  seemed  to  be 
imprisoned  in  this  Indian  city,  and  I  resolved  to  apply  at 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE   PACIFIC.  149 

headquarters.  Not  expecting  to  meet  the  President  out  of 
Guatemala  City,  I  had  no  letters  with  me,  nor  even  any 
suitable  attire  for  a  visit  of  ceremony ;  but  there  was  no 
alternative,  and  through  one  of  his  attendants  I  obtained 
an  appointment  for  the  evening.  In  the  mean  time  we 
wandered  impatiently  about  the  town.    In  the  church,  over 


J.    Rufino    Barrios. 

the  main  altar,  we  saw,  what  had  before  escaped  notice, 
three  life-sized  figures  representing  God  and  Christ  kneel- 
ing to  and  crowning  the  Virgin  Mary,  over  whose  head  a 
dove  hovered.  God  had  a  white  beard  and  hold  head, 
while  Christ's  hair  was  black.  Neither  this  Quatemity, 
nor  anything  else  we  noticed  in  the  service  of  religion 
here,  surprised  me;  though  the  shudder  of  disgust  was 


4 

150  GUATEMALA. 

stronger  than  when  I  stood  on  the  threshold  of  the 
sanctuary  of  Kali,  near  Calcutta,  and  saw  the  hideous 
idol  with  its  gory  lips  and  necklace  of  bleeding  human 
heads. 

In  the  evening  the  President  received  me  very  politely 
in  the  sola  where  we  had  called  on  the  Jefe.  I  stated 
my  case,  while  Frank  looked  in  at  the  window.  Seiior 
Barrios  was  much  better  looking  than  he  appears  in  his 
portraits ;  he  was  not  a  large  man,  but  muscular,  and 
with  a  very  determined  and  intelligent  face.  His  little 
daughter,  who  had  been  educated  in  New  York,  acted 
as  his  interpreter ;  and  never,  among  the  scores  of  in- 
terpreters I  have  had  in  many  countries,  have  I  found 
so  capital  a  one.  Once  only  my  Spanish  failed  me ; 
and  instantly  the  little  girl  repeated  in  idiomatic,  con- 
cise English,  her  father's  question.  I  told  him  I  had 
more  important  business  with  him  at  the  capital,  but 
that  at  present  I  wished  only  the  privilege  of  hiring  or 
purchasing  bestias  for  our  journey  to  Solola.  He  at  once 
summoned  the  stupid  little  Jefe  and  asked  him  why  he 
had  not  furnished  us  as  we  requested.  "No  hay"  (there 
are  none),  replied  the  Indio.  "  Then  make  some  before 
to-morrow,  or  you  shall  suffer  for  it ! "  said  President 
Barrios ;  and  told  me  to  let  him  know  if  they  were  not 
furnished  us  in  the  morning.  Next  day  the  Jefe  offered 
us  his  own  mule ;  but  his  wife,  a  perfect  shrew,  declared 
it  should  not  leave  town.  If  I  had  liked  that  Jefe  bet- 
ter, I  would  have  wished  that  the  mule  might  run  away 
with  his  wife  and  break  her  neck.  At  last  he  got  us 
two  good  horses,  for  which  he  would  take  no  pay,  as  we 
were  amigos  del  Presidents  A  mozo  was  included  in  this 
arrangement,  and  we  started  him  at  noon,  we  following 


FROM   QUEZALTENAXGO   TO   THE   PACIFIC.  151 

soon  after  two.  We  shook  off  the  dust  from  our  feet, 
and  were  glad  enough  to  leave  Totonicapan,  where  we 
had  found  the  Indios  so  impudent  and  disobliging  that 
at  one  time  I  feared  I  should  have  to  shoot  some  of  them 
with  my  revolver  in  driving  them  from  my  door. 

After  the  first  steep  ascent  of  twelve  hundred  feet,  we 
rode  rapidly  over  the  level  plateau ;  but  with  all  our 
haste  we  could  not  get  to  those  steep  and  difficult  stairs 
before  dark.  Luckily  we  overtook  two  ladinos,  who  rode 
with  us ;  and  we  consequently  were  saved  by  their  guid- 
ance the  discomfort  of  a  camp  in  the  cold  night.  At 
Argueta  we  were  put  into  a  large  room  in  the  deserted 
monastery,  where  we  had  some  excellent  coffee.  In  the 
middle  of  the  room  we  made  a  fire  of  the  fat-pine  that 
we  had  gathered  in  the  mountain  in  preparation  for  camp- 
ing out,  thus  taking  off  the  chill  which  is  very  decided  in 
these  high  altitudes ;  and  the  clear  burning  chips  of  ocote 
did  not  smoke  us  out. 

We  were  up  at  five  next  morning  {may  temprano) ; 
and  although  it  was  still  dark,  got  our  coffee  and  started 
for  Solola.  In  the  corridor  of  the  monastery  was  a  large 
pile  of  an  odd-looking  corn,  the  kernels  shaped  like  rice- 
corn,  but  yellow,  and  much  larger.  Six  grains,  which  I 
brought  home,  were  planted  in  Worcester  County,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  they  all  grew,  —  some  to  a  height  of  seven- 
teen feet,  with  a  diameter  near  the  ground  of  three 
inches.  The  season,  however,  was  not  long  enough  for 
them  to  ripen. 

In  the  pale  dawn  we  saw  the  distant  volcano  of  Fuego 
smoking.  We  rode  on  briskly  in  the  cool  morning,  get- 
ting to  our  hotel  at  eight.  Certainly  this  was  the  best 
and  fastest  ride  we  had  in  Guatemala.     We  took  no  time 


152  GUATEMALA. 

to  rest,  but  at  once  proceeded  to  photograph  the  town. 
After  alnmerzo  we  climbed  down  to  the  Lago  de  Atitlan 
by  a  path  about  twelve  hundred  feet  in  perpendicular 
descent.  It  was  a  league  and  a  half  from  town  to  shore. 
We  were  in  another  climate.  Oranges,  sugar-cane,  avo- 
cados, limes,  jocotes,  and  other  fruits  that  cannot  bear  the 
cold  of  the  town  above  us,  flourished  here.  Walled  on 
every  side  by  vast  cliffs,  and  overshadowed  by  high  volca- 
noes, there  were  yet  fertile  valleys  opening  on  the  Lago  here 
and  there.  Streams  of  considerable  volume  pour  into  it 
over  rocky  beds,  or  clash  foaming  down  the  high  cliffs. 
Ten  miles  across  was  the  ancient  town  of  Atitlan,  famed 
in  legend  and  history.  We  stood  in  one  of  those  mysteri- 
ous  places  seemingly  below  the  rest  of  the  world,  for  we 
could  see  the  water  fall  into  this  valley ;  but  no  human 
eye  sees  the  outlet,  nor  are  the  waters,  as  in  the  valley  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  chiefly  evaporated.  The  surface  is  evi- 
dently of  nearly  the  same  level  at  all  seasons.  In  the 
opinion  of  some  observers  it  is  not  improbable  that  this 
valley  was  an  .ancient  crater,  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
volcano  of  Atitlan  has  risen, — much  as  Vesuvius  has 
sprung  from  the  ancient  Somma ;  but  the  more  probable 
origin  of  the  lake  is  that  the  rising  volcanoes  dammed 
up  a  valley.  In  the  lava  are  many  cavities,  and  possibly 
through  these  the  surplus  waters  flow,  to  reappear  in  the 
many  copious  springs  of  the  southern  shore.  We  were 
minded  to  try  the  truth  of  that  strange  assertion  of  Juar- 
ros  that  the  waters  are  so  cold  that  all  who  venture  in 
have  their  limbs  frost-bitten  and  swollen.  The  water  was 
clear  and  sweet,  and  we  wacled  out  some  distance  before 
there  was  depth  enough  to  swim.  From  the  sandy  bottom 
rose  abundant  bubbles,  —  probably  of  carbonic  acid,  as 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE   PACIFIC. 


153 


they  had  no  smell.  It  was  a  most  refreshing  bath, —  cool, 
but  not  so  cold  as  the  old  historian  reported.  A  new  ex- 
perience, as  we  stood  drying  on  the  shore,  was  a  shave 
with  pumice-stones,  which  abound  here.  A  little  care  is 
needed  to  avoid  taking  the  cuticle  away  with  the  hair ; 
but  these  stone  razors  are  admirable  substitutes  for  Shef- 
field steel,  and  are  always  sharp.  Water-fowl  were 
abundant,  and  very  tame.  A  good  survey  of  this  lake 
would  be  of  great  geological  and  antiquarian  interest ; 
and  we  will  speak  of  its  depth  and  formation  in  a  later 
chapter. 


Boat  on  the    Lago  de   Atitlan. 


We  should  much  have  liked  to  cross  the  lake  to  the 
ruins  on  the  other  side ;  but  the  sight  of  the  only  boats 
on  the  lake,  as  well  as  our  limited  time,  deterred  us.  I 
have  never  before  seen  boats  constructed  on  these  lines ; 
the  handles  on  the  stern  seeming  necessary  to  lift  the 
large,  clumsy  craft  out  of  the  water. 

Oh,  the  hot  climb  up  that  hill  to  Solola  !  We  started 
at  half-past  one,  and  did  not  get  back  until  six ;  and  were 
then  so  tired  that,  soon  after  comida,  we  fell  asleep,  in 
spite  of  the  music  and  rockets  within  a  few  rods  of  our 
bedroom.  The  decencies  of  life  are  much  neglected  here, 
as  elsewhere  in  Guatemala,  and  our  only  washing-place 
was  the  veranda-rail,  over  which  we  leaned  while  Santiago 
poured  a  calabash  of  water  over  us.      Those  who  have 


154 


GUATEMALA. 


travelled  in  Central  France  will  have  some  idea  of  the 
privies  of  Central  America,  where  they  exist  in  any  form, 
—  indeed,  if  it  were  not  for  the  hungry  dogs,  who  act 
as  scavengers,  the  streets  would  be  in  a  most  disgusting 
condition. 


^-— 


Sketch   Map  of  the  Lago  de  Atitlan. 


All  this  day  the  mountains  were  clear ;  but  on  the  mor- 
row the  clouds  came  down  again.  We  called  on  the  Jefe 
to  say  our  adios,  and  found  that  neither  he  nor  his  secre- 
tary could  tell  us  the  names  of  the  immense  volcanoes 
before  his  very  eyes  every  time  he  went  out  of  his  house- 
door.  However,  he  called  in  an  old  Indio,  who  pointed 
out  the  distant  Fuego,  Agua,  and  Pacaya,  and  the  nearer 
Atitlan,  San  Pedro,  and  Santa  Clara.     All  these  volcanoes 


FROM  QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE  PACIFIC.  155 

have  been  duly  baptized  into  the  Church,  to  induce  them 
to  act  as  good  citizens  and  christianos. 

The  Jefe  had  promised  me  his  mule,  and  Frank  was  to 
have  the  horse  of  the  alcalde,  as  his  mare,  Mabel,  had  a 
sore  back  from  the  breaking  of  the  tenedora,  or  crupper, 
on  the  journey  to  Solola.  We  secured  for  a  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents  two  mozos  to  take  our  luggage  —  much 
increased  in  weight  by  the  cloths  we  had  purchased  in 
Quezaltenango  —  as  far  as  Antigua,  and  at  noon  we 
started.  Frank's  little  mare  was  a  character.  She  took 
the  saddle  all  right ;  but  when  he  tried  to  bridle  her,  she 
rose  on  her  hind-legs  and  proposed  a  boxing-match. 
Frank  very  naturally  declined,  as  he  had  no  fists  to  match 
hers ;  and  as  Santiago  and  the  mozos  had  been  sent  ahead, 
we  hardly  knew  what  to  do,  until  an  old  Spaniard  kindly 
came  to  our  aid  and  taught  us  a  trick.  He  tied  some 
rope  around  the  creature's  left  ear,  —  a  proceeding  to 
which  she  made  not  the  slightest  objection,  —  and  insert- 
ing a  stout  stick  and  twisting  the  rope  so  as  to  have  a 
firm  hold  of  the  ear,  I  was  able  to  keep  her  down  while 
Frank  put  on  the  bridle.  She  was  perfectly  still  as  long 
as  her  ear  was  in  limbo,  and  did  not  seem  to  suffer ;  but 
it  was  useless  to  try  to  hold  her  by  mane  force  or  by 
the  nostrils.  Every  time  she  was  bridled  we  had  to  go 
through  the  same  process. 

We  first  rode  down  a  very  steep  grade,  sixteen  hundred 
feet,  to  Panajachel,  —  a  pleasing  village  a  league  and  a 
half  from  Solola.  Here  are  cultivated  fields  on  the 
borders  of  the  lake  far  surpassing  anything  of  the  kind  I 
saw  elsewhere  in  the  republic.  They  are  completely  irri- 
gated by  the  water  of  many  brooks,  some  of  which  make 
cascades  by  the  wayside.     Panajachel  is  the  garden  of 


156  GUATEMALA. 

Solola ;  with  about  twelve  hundred  inhabitants,  it  has, 
besides  its  agricultural  advantages,  various  minerals  and 
especially  fine  clays.  Hot-springs  come  to  the  surface  on 
the  lake  shore.  The  road  was  being  repaired,  and  we 
had  to  travel  slowly,  — glad,  however,  of  the  excuse  for 
loitering,  as  the  views  of  the  lake  and  valley  were  not  to 
be  lightly  passed  by  and  forgotten.  Then  came  a  long, 
slow  climb  of  fourteen  hundred  feet  to  San  Andres 
Semetabaj,  —  a  town  of  seventeen  hundred  inhabitants, 
which  showed  us  as  its  only  attraction  a  ruined  church 
with  a  remarkably  fine  dome ;  even  Sir  Christopher  Wren 
never  designed  a  finer.  On  this  long  climb  we  lingered 
to  photograph  the  last  view  of  the  Lago  de  Atitlan  and  its 
volcanoes.  The  sun  was  in  our  faces,  and  shone  over  the 
silvery  waters  with  the  effect  of  moonlight.  The  three 
black  giants  —  once  so  terrible,  now  so  solemnly  grand  — 
kept  back  the  surging  sea  of  cloud  from  the  Pacific 
that  seemed  struggling  to  climb  their  sides  and  reach  the 
lake.  Not  a  boat,  not  a  human  being,  was  visible  as  we 
looked  our  last  on  the  beautiful  laero  and  turned  to  a  road 
quite  unlike  any  we  had  travelled  before. 

And  now  every  day  brought  a  quite  new  experience, 
as  not  merely  the  flowers  and  vegetation,  but  the  very 
physical  aspect  of  the  country  changed  ;  and,  strangely 
enough,  the  night  was  the  entr'acte.  To-day  we  were 
crossing  the  immense  wrinkles  of  the  earth,  while  from 
Chichicastenango  to  Solola  we  had  travelled  with  them. 
As  we  went  up  and  down,  the  light  faded  ;  and  we  still 
had  three  "  wide  rivers  to  cross,"  as  well  as  many  leagues 
to  ride.  As  we  passed  the  camps  of  the  mozos  de  cargo 
the  bright  light  of  their  fires  dazzled  us  and  made  the 
road  some  way  beyond  seem  much    darker.     We  came  at 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE   PACIFIC.  157 

last  to  a  plain.  Here  the  good  resolves  never  to  travel 
in  this  country  after  dark,  made  when  we  lost  the  road 
at  Encuentros,  were  renewed  and  strengthened  ;  for  every 
now  and  then  we  saw  in  the  dim  gray  path  what  looked 
like  ink-puddles,  but,  to  our  horror,  as  we  were  about  to 
ride  through  one,  we  found  it  to  be  the  head  of  an  im- 
mense barranca  which  was  gradually 
eating  its  way  into  the  plain  over 
which  the  road  extended.  The  walls 
of  this  barranca  were  perpendicular, 
and  apparently  thirty  yards  deep ;  and 
it  was  only  one  of  a  dozen  intersecting 
our  path.  I  have  never  since  then 
passed  a  dark  spot  in  the  road  at  night 
without  thinking  of  those  awful  abysses 
lying  in  wait  to  entrap  the  unwary  Washout  in  the  Road 
traveller.  Evidently  few  here  travel  after  dark.  In 
places  were  hedges  of  agave,  and  we  saw  here  and  there 
a  house ;  while  the  barking  of  dogs  became  more  frequent, 
and  we  at  last,  about  half-past  nine,  rode  into  Patzun. 
We  had  no  little  difficulty  in  finding  where  the  posada 
was  ;  for  Santiago,  who  led  Mabel,  did  not  like  to  leave 
the  road,  and  the  burden,  as  usual,  fell  on  Frank,  —  who, 
fortunately,  was  well  able  to  bear  it.  The  inhabitants 
were  all  in  bed ;  but  he  at  last  aroused  a  man  to  direct  us, 
and  we  found  a  good  posada,  with  a  comfortable  room, 
clean  beds,  and  hot  chocolate. 

We  slept  long,  and  did  not  get  our  early  meal  until 
eight.  Santiago  added  to  his  disrepute  by  failing  to  find 
any  sacate  (green  fodder)  for  the  animals,  while  Frank 
found  a  supply  at  once.  We  always  had  to  buy  or  pay 
separately  for  our  sacate  and  corn ;  seldom  was   either  to 


158  GUATEMALA. 

be  found  in  a  posada.  While  our  bestias  were  feeding  we 
went  to  the  church,  which  had  a  curious  campanile  deco- 
rated (?)  with  sculptured  angels  at  the  angles.  Inside, 
there  was  a  wedding,  —  the  couple  kneeling  within  the 
chancel-rail  under  one  red  shawl.  The  officiating  priest 
seemed  to  be  an  Irishman.  As  we  rode  out  of  town  we 
passed  a  public  fountain,  to  which  excellent  water  is 
brought  from  a  distance  of  several  miles  by  a  very 
ancient  aqueduct.  The  fountain  was  of  the  usual  form, 
—  a  column  more  or  less  ornamented  rising  in  the  midst 
of  a  circular  or  polygonal  basin,  which  catches  the  water 
falling  from  one  or  more  spouts  near  the  top  of  the 
column.  From  this  common  basin  horses  drink  and 
women  clip  water,  the  spouts  being  quite  out  of  reach. 
The  Indios  place  their  water-jars  on  the  edge  of  the  large 
basin  and  conduct  the  water  by  a  bambu  pole  just  long 
enough  to  reach  from  the  spout  to  the  jar. 

At  eleven  o'clock  we  reached  Patzicia,  but  did  not  stop 
even  to  examine  the  ruined  church.  The  evening  before 
we  had  noticed  a  long  cliff  some  ten  feet  high,  —  evidently 
caused  by  a  comparatively  recent  subsidence ;  and  here 
we  saw  other  evidences  of  earthquakes  in  remote  ages 
before  the  present  town  was  built.  On  the  trees  by  the 
road  was  a  beautiful  yellow  bignonia,  and  in  the  yards  we 
saw  fine  double  pink  and  white  dahlias  growing  as  trees,  — 
fifteen  feet  high,  and  with  stems  eight  inches  in  diameter. 
Chimaltenango,  the  head  of  this  Department,  did  not 
interest  us,  and  we  did  not  linger. 

The  road  was  level,  but  winding  and  dusty.  We  were 
approaching  the  volcanoes  Agua  and  Fuego,  which  kept 
changing  their  relative  position  in  a  very  puzzling  manner. 
Several  small  hamlets  —  San  Lorenzo,  San  Luis,  Pastores, 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO  TO   THE   PACIFIC. 


159 


and  Jocotenango  —  served  as  milestones  on  our  way. 
Near  the  last  place  we  discovered  a  man  on  fire  in  the 
road ;  and  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  extinguish  the  confla- 
gration. Tobacco  did  the  mischief,  and  aguardiente  pre- 
vented the  senses  of  the  poor  Indio  from  working  fast 
enough  to  save  much  of  his  clothing  ;  and  as  we  rode 
away  we  saw  his  companions  stripping  the  smoking  rags 


Antigua  and   the   Volcan   de  Agua. 

from  his  singed  body.  About  dusk  we  came  to  the  Hotel 
del  Commercio  in  Antigua,  the  capital  of  the  Department 
of  Sacatepequez. 

Early  Sunday  morning  we  went  to  the  Plaza,  and  from 
the  second  story  of  the  cabildo  photographed  both  the 
great  volcanoes  Agua  and  Fuego.  Directly  before  us 
were  the  ruins  of  the  palace  of  the  Viceroy,  the  arms 
of  Spain  carved  in  the  stone,  which  still  stands  firmly,  a 
century  after  the  terrible  earthquake  which  shattered  the 
rest  of  the  building  and  ruined  the  whole  city.     On  the 


160  GUATEMALA. 

left  stood  the  roofless  cathedral,  and  dotted  thickly  over 
the  plain  were  other  ruined  churches,  —  eighty,  it  is  said, 
—  which  looked  as  if  recently  demolished.  We  had  our 
bestias  saddled,  and  rode  over  to  Ciuclad  Vieja,  distant 
about  a  league.  This  was  the  second  city  founded  by 
Alvarado  (Tecpan  Quatemalan  being  the  first),  and  de- 
stroyed, together  with  the  widow  of  the  Conquistador,  in 
1541,  by  the  earthquake  and  torrent  of  water  from  the 
ancient  crater  of  Agua.  The  town  is  small  enough  now. 
After  watching  a  man  make  roquetas  (rockets),1  Ave 
rode  to  the  Banos  de  Medina,  which  we  had  some  diffi- 
culty in  finding;  we  took,  however,  at  last  a  short  cut 
through  a  coffee  plantation  where  the  berries  were  large 
and  ripening.  The  baths  are  in  a  small  house  of  several 
rooms.  The  one  Frank  and  I  occupied  had  a  large  tank, 
deep  enough  for  a  swim  ;  the  water  was  slightly  sulphu- 
rous, and  but  a  few  degrees  warmer  than  the  atmosphere. 
It  was  well  worth  the  real  it  cost  us. 

In  the  afternoon  we  strolled  among  the  ruins  of  Anti- 
gua, which  are  very  fascinating.  All  the  churches  were 
of  solid  masonry,  with  vaulted  roofs,  —  some  still  entire, 
and  supporting  a  mass  of  vegetation,  among  which  the 
Phytolacca  was  common.  The  outlay  of  money  in  build- 
ing all  these  elaborate  churches  must  have  been  enor- 
mous for  material  and  transportation  (many  of  the  tiles 
being  Spanish),  although  the  actual  labor  was  by  unpaid 
slaves.  We  were  told  strange  stories  of  the  skeletons  of 
mother   and   child   found   walled  in  a   church ;    tunnels 

1  The  cases  of  these  rockets  were  of  bambu,  and  usually  three  were 
attached  to  one  stick.  As  they  were  fired  in  daylight,  and  valued  for  their 
effect  upon  the  ear  rather  than  the  eye,  the  proportion  of  explosive  powder 
was  increased,  —  each  discharge  giving  three  sharp  cracks. 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE   PACIFIC. 


161 


connecting  the  churches  and  nunneries  just  outside  the 
city  ;  infant  skeletons  in  a  vault  of  one  of  the  nunneries, 
etc.     With  these  romantic  associations  in  mind,  we  poked 


Ruined   Church  in  Antigua. 

hither  and  thither  among  the  mighty  ruins ;  but  we 
found  only  the  curiosities  of  architecture  (of  these  there 
were  enough  to  occupy  me  many  days)  and  the  traces 
the  treasure-hunters  had  left  in  the  walls.     Frank  found 

ll 


162  GUATEMALA. 

in  one  of  the  vaults  a  well-drawn  fresco  covered  with  a 
thick  coat  of  whitewash,  and  we  tried  to  pry  off  a  por- 
tion ;  but  could  not  succeed  without  too  much  damacrmo; 
it.  Horses  were  pasturing  on  the  grass-grown  roof  of  a 
part  of  one  of  the  churches,  and  a  few  had  portions  still 
in  use  as  places  of  worship,  while  another  was  occupied  by 
a  blacksmith.  In  one  of  these  we  saw  some  finely  carved 
wooden  panels.  All  about  the  city  eucalyptus-trees  had 
been  planted.  The  roads  are  very  good,  and  the  alameda, 
or  public  promenade,  is  attractive.  The  corner  houses 
often  had  most  comfortable  projecting  windows,  so  placed 
that  one  could  see  in  both  streets  at  once. 

There  are  two  industries  in  Antigua  of  considerable 
interest  to  the  visitor,  —  the  carving  of  cane-heads,  which 
is  done  in  a  most  artistic  manner,  equalling,  perhaps, 
the  famous  ivory  carvings  of  Dieppe,  in  Normandy  ;  and 
the  manufacture  of  dolls,  or  effigies,  mostly  of  cloth, 
representing  every  costume  and  occupation  of  the  Indios. 
These  little  figures  —  seldom  more  than  five  inches  high 

—  have  often  an  expression  that  would  not  be  thought 
possible,  considering  the  material  of  their  fabric.  Solola 
is  another  place  where  these  dolls,  or  munecos,  are  made, 

—  a  single  family,  I  believe,  having  the  monopoly  ;  but 
in  Antigua  we  found  a  much  greater  variety.  Especially 
good  are  their  figures  to  represent  the  Nativity  of  Christ ; 
for  it  is  customary  in  many  of  the  towns  to  keep  open 
house  at  Christmas-tide,  and  each  household  tries  to  pro- 
vide a  Bethlehem,  —  much  as  in  Germany  a  Christmas- 
tree  is  arranged ;  but  the  groups  of  Shepherds,  the  Wise 
Men  from  the  East,  as  well  as  the  Holy  Family,  are  often 
made  in  the  most  careful  and  artistic  way,  all  from  bits 
of  cloth. 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE  PACIFIC.  163 

Here  I  bought  my  first  mule,  paying  for  her  eighty 
dollars  in  Guatemaltecan  money  (silver  of  the  value  of 
the  buzzard  dollar  of  the  United  States),  the  purchaser 
giving  United  States  gold  at  twenty  per  cent  premium  ; 
consequently  the  mule  cost  really  sixty-six  dollars  and 
sixty-seven  cents.  After  riding  her  two  months  I  sold  her 
for  a  hundred  dollars.  We  engaged  two  mozos  de  cargo, 
and  then  felt  at  leisure  to  look  more  about  the  city.  Near 
the  hotel  was  a  chicheria,  or  place  where  chicha  is  sold. 
This  drink  is  here  made  from  jocotes,  and  the  cider-like 
beverage  is  drunk  from  pint  bowls  or  calabashes.  Intoxi- 
cation follows  ;  and  we  frequently  heard  women  shrieking 
in  the  arms  of  men,  while  unearthly  yells  and  laugh- 
ter greeted  the  outcries.  Owing  to  indulgence  in  this 
dissipation,  our  mozos  could  not  walk  in  the  morning, 
and  we  spent  some  hours  in  searching  for  others.  The 
best  we  could  do  was  to  get  one  for  six  reals  to  take  our 
carcaste  to  Ciudad  Vieja,  the  Jefe  at  Antigua  giving  me  a 
requisition  on  the  comandante  there  for  another.  We 
sent  Santiago  with  a  drunken  mozo  direct  to  Guatemala 
City ;  and  we  afterwards  found  that  the  wretched  mozo, 
when  well  out  of  the  city,  dropped  his  burden  and  ran 
away,  compelling  Santiago  to  get  a  substitute,  with  whom 
he  arrived  safely. 

For  ourselves,  we  retraced  the  road  of  yesterday  to 
Ciudad  Vieja,  and  found  the  cabildo,  where  the  soldiers 
captured  the  necessary  mozo,  —  literally  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet ;  but  he  was  a  capital  fellow,  in  spite  of  his 
forced  service.  While  the  hunt  was  in  progress,  we 
looked  about  the  town ;  but  there  was  not  much  to  see, 
except  the  elaborately  wrought  doors  of  the  church. 
There  were  few  indications  of  the  awful  ruin  the  flood 


1G4  GUATEMALA. 

from  Agua  had  brought  upon  the  town  in  1541 ;  but 
some  of  the  buildings  seemed  to  be  partly  resting  on  sub- 
structures of  older  date.  Some  of  the  slaves  in  uniform 
called  soldiers  told  us  we  could  not  go  into  the  presence 
of  the  comandante  without  taking  off  our  spurs ;  so  I 
haughtily  declined  to  go  in,  or  even  dismount,  and  or- 
dered him  to  come  out  and  receive  the  Jefe's  letter.  He 
meekly  obeyed,  seeming  to  be  a  very  decent  fellow. 
Clouds  covered  both  volcanoes,  and  our  road  led  south- 
ward between  them.  "We  had  a  good  enough  road,  clown 
hill  constantly,  and  winding  into  the  valleys  on  the  side 
of  Fuego,  —  often  crossing  fine  streams  of  clear  cold 
water.  The  crater  of  the  volcano  was  still  smoking,  —  as 
it  has  been  since  1880,  when  there  was  a  slight  eruption. 
We  could  see  that  the  crater-wall  was  broken  down  to 
give  issue  to  what  looked  more  like  scoriae  than  lava. 
Gases  have  acted  extensively  on  the  whole  summit, 
which  displays  many  colors,  from  the  decomposition  of 
the  lavas. 

As  the  day  closed,  the  road  became  bad  and  full  of 
small  stones.  The  foothills  were  capped  with  irregular 
masses  of  lava,  which  in  the  sunset  looked  not  unlike  the 
ruined  castles  on  the  Rhine.  We  were  in  the  region  of 
canefields,  and  we  often  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  At  seven  we  rode  into  Escuintla  and  found  the 
hotel  comfortable  enough  ;  but  all  night  there  was  a 
horrid  noise,  —  drums,  rockets,  bombs,  and  shouts,  — 
and  we  dreamed  that  the  town  was  being  captured  by 
storm . 

Wre  had  entered  the  region  of  railroads  ag-ain  ;  and 
our  train  started  next  morning  at  half-past  six  for  San 
Jose,  on  the  Pacific.     The  fare  for  the  round  trip  was 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE   PACIFIC.  165 

three  dollars.  We  had  a  second-class  carriage,  as  the 
only  first-class  carriage  is  reserved  for  the  President. 
At  the  station,  in  the  lowest  part  of  the  town,  the  height 
above  sea-level  is  eleven  hundred  feet ;  and  for  the  first 
three  miles  out  the  grade  is  rather  steep.  The  remaining 
twenty-five  miles  offered  no  difficulties  in  road-building ; 
but  the  culverts  and  bridges  are  fast  decaying,  and  as 
they  are  not  promptly  repaired,  the  road  is  not  safe. 
The  run  was  made  in  two  hours,  —  certainly  not  a  high 
rate  of  speed.  There  were  fine  views  of  the  volcanoes, 
and  some  interesting  scenes  at  the  stations.  As  we 
approached  the  coast  the  line  crossed  several  shallow 
lagoons,  and  the  country  looked  low  and  uninviting. 
I  did  not,  however,  see  evidence  of  much  ill-health 
among  the  natives,  although  the  manners  and  customs 
were  loose  enough.  The  railroad  (ferro-carril)  ended  in 
a  respectable  station  in  San  Jose,  at  the  head  of  a 
fine  iron  pier  extending  some  six  hundred  feet  into  the 
sea,  —  beyond  the  surf,  but  not  where  vessels  can  come 
alongside. 

We  had  seen  the  Pacific  the  day  before  as  we  rode  from 
Antigua,  and  it  was,  as  always,  a  welcome  sight  to  me, 
for  some  of  the  pleasantest  years  of  my  life  have  been 
passed  on  its  shores  or  on  its  islands.  To-day  its  waves 
rolled  up  on  the  sand  in  so  inviting  a  way  that  as  soon 
as  we  had  found  the  hotel  on  the  beach  and  ordered 
almuerzo,  we  returned  to  the  pier,  and,  under  its  shelter, 
stripped  and  waded  in.  The  rollers  took  us  off  our  feet ; 
and  as  large  sharks  were  snuffing  about  just  outside  the 
iron  piles  of  the  pier,  within  a  few  yards  of  us,  we  had  a 
sufficiently  exciting  bath.  I  have  never  seen  such  large 
sharks  before,  even  in  the  shark-haunted  shores  of  the 


166  GUATEMALA. 

Antilles  or  the  Hawaiian  Islands  ;  but  it  is  claimed  that 
they  dare  not  venture  between  the  piles.  The  young 
sharks  however  have  no  such  scruples  ;  and  we  kicked 
several  of  the  little  fellows  out  of  our  way.  The  iron- 
work was  thickly  covered  with  barnacles  and  other  crus- 
taceans, and  it  took  considerable  skill  to  avoid  being 
dashed  against  this. 

On  the  pier-head  there  was  a  cool  sea-breeze,  and  we 
spent  much  of  our  time  there  while  waiting  for  the  return 
train.  A  pier  was  built  here  in  1868  ;  but  a  storm  of  un- 
usual severity  soon  after  destroyed  it,  and  the  present 
structure  was  built  in  a  more  substantial  manner.  The 
piles  are  of  cast  iron  and  hollow,  fitted  with  auger- 
points,  by  which  they  are  screwed  down  into  the  sand. 
The  end  of  the  wharf  is  covered  by  a  shed,  where  are 
provided  three  steam  hoisting-engines.  As  San  Jose 
is,  like  most  of  the  ports  on  the  Pacific  coast,  merely 
an  open  roadstead,  vessels  do  not  care  to  wait  long 
there,  and  stout  lighters  are  provided  to  bring  cargo 
between  ship  and  pier.  Even  with  lighters  of  some 
twenty-five  tons,  the  task  is  not  always  easy,  and 
many  a  passenger  gets  a  wetting  in  jumping  from  the 
small  boat  to  the  iron  cage  used  in  rough  weather 
to  hoist  the  human  freight  to  the  pier-top.  Since  the 
completion  of  the  railroad,  in  1880,  the  tracks  have 
been  laid  along  the  pier,  —  thus  facilitating  the  hand- 
ling of  freight,  much  of  which  is  lumber  coming  from 
the  Oregon  coast,  and  sugar,  coffee,  and  hides  going 
to  San  Francisco.  To-day  two  ships  were  at  anchor, 
and  a  steamer  was  expected. 

As  we  sat  in  the  cool  shade  on  the  end  of  the  pier, 
looking  dreamily  over  the  Pacific,  I  felt  that  the   journey 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE   PACIFIC.  167 

across  the  continent,  as  we  had  made  it,  was  far  pleas- 
anter  than  when,  in  1869,  I  had  used  the  railroad, — 
then  but  a  week  old.  We  decided  unanimously  that  the 
difference  between  the  two  oceans  was  not  a  matter  of 
fancy  merely.  I  had  seen  the  middle  Atlantic  smooth 
as  a  mill-pond,  and  had  been  miserably  seasick  on  the 
raging  Pacific ;  so  without  going  deeper  into  this  ques- 
tion, our  thoughts  wandered  from  one  thing  to  another, 
mine  going  back  to  the  days  when  Istapa,  the  old  port 
at  our  left  hand,  was  more  than  a  swamp,  and  when  the 
Spanish  shipyards  there  were  humming  with  the  busy 
workmen  who  had  learned  their  craft  on  the  Rio  Tinto 
at  Palos  or  on  the  sandy  shores  of  Cadiz.  Why  had  the 
place  become  so  changed  ?  My  eye  wandered  up  and 
down  the  coast  for  an  answer  to  a  suggestion  that  came 
to  me.  But  only  a  rather  steep  beach  was  there,  —  no 
cliff,  not  even  a  detached  rock,  to  solve  the  problem  of 
whether  the  coast  was  at  the  same  level  as  in  the  seven- 
teenth century ;  for  this  was  the  way  I  was  trying  to 
answer  my  own  question.  A  rise  of  eight  feet  would 
explain  everything  about  that  deserted  harbor ;  but  there 
was  nothing  except  the  steep  slope  of  the  beach  to  indi- 
cate any  change  of  level.  Had  I  been  able  to  see  any 
rocks  within  the  limit  of  two  miles,  I  should  have  left  the 
cool  pier  and  trudged  through  the  hot  black  sand  to  ask 
them.  Frank's  more  practical  mind  was  working  in 
another  direction ;  and  he  took  up  the  conversation  with 
a  question  whether  a  railroad  to  the  Atlantic  would 
change  this  port  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  republic. 
Then  we  discussed  the  several  schemes  proposed  for  in- 
fusing a  commercial  spirit  into  this  charmingly  uncom- 
mercial country ;  and  although  we  had  not  yet  seen  the 


1G8 


GUATEMALA. 


route  selected  for  the  Northern  Railroad,  we  had  been 
over  the  track  of  several  of  the  other  paper  railroads, 
and  on  our  map  —  that  inseparable  companion  —  we 
sketched  the  roads.  Here  is  the  map  we  made,  with 
several  additions  of  a  later  date,  — -  a  map  which  shows 
fairly  enough  what  can,  and  in  time  probably  will,  be 
clone   to   open  the   country.     First  we  discussed  a  road 


KAILIIOADS 

KOK 

GUATEMALA 

Projto&ed 


from  Livingston  to  Coban,  to  open  the  coffee  region ; 
and  as  we  were  fresh  from  the  very  route,  we  tackled 
the  problem  unhesitatingly.  The  road,  we  decided, 
should  run  up  the  coast  towards  Cocali,  turn  through  the 
forest  six  miles  to  Chocon,  crossing  the  Chocon  River  on 
a  single  span,  then  over  the  smaller  Rio  Cienega  and  along 
the  north  shore  of  the  Lago  de  Izabal,  then  a  little  to  the 
northward  of  the  Rio  Polochic,  bridging  the  Cahabon 
near  the  limestone  ledges  east  of  Pansos,  thence  through 
Teleman,  and  by  nearly  the  cart-road  route  to  Coban.  Per- 
haps a  hundred  and  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles,  in  all,  of 


FROM   QUEZALTENANGO   TO   THE  PACIFIC.  169 

single  track,  would  result  in  quadrupling  the  coffee  export 
of  Guatemala.  It  would  then  be  profitable  to  raise  more 
of  the  delicious  oranges  of  Teleman,  —  oranges  such  as 
Florida  can  never  raise  ;  the  mahogany  of  the  Cienega 
and  Chocon  could  be  marketed  ;  and  all  Alta  Verapaz  be 
a  plantation  of  coffee  and  fruits.  More  than  this,  the  road 
would  pay  from  the  first  through  train.  Before  us  on  the 
west  coast  was  the  sugar  and  cacao  region,  —  that  land 
that  produces  the  royal  chocolate  which  outside  barba- 
rians never  get,  but  which  might  be  raised  very  extensive- 
ly from  Soconusco  eastward  if  a  railroad  should  be  built 
over  the  level  lands  from  Escuintla  to  Retalhuleu  and 
Ocos.  A  road  from  Guatemala  City  through  Salama  to 
Coban  would  not  only  open  the  rich  sugar  estate  of  San 
Geronimo,  but  connect  the  capital  with  the  Mexican 
system,  which  will  probably  go  to  Coban  eventually.  At 
Belize  the  English  are  trying  to  build  a  road  inland  to 
Peten  to  open  the  logwood  and  mahogany  forests  ;  and 
they  need  a  road  along  the  coast  to  open  the  settlements 
that  now  have  no  outlet  save  by  water.  A  hundred  and 
forty  miles,  at  the  outside,  would  connect  Belize  with 
Livingston.  The  roads  in  Honduras  will  extend  between 
Trujillo  and  Puerto  Barrios,  there  connecting  with  the 
Northern  Railroad  of  Guatemala.  Not  one  of  these 
projected  lines  presents  any  very  difficult  engineering 
problems.  The  financial  question  is  the  only  obstacle  ; 
and  with  the  exception  of  the  first  two,  —  both  coast 
roads,  and  of  simple  construction,  —  they  would  not  pay 
for  a  few  years  ;  that  is,  until  the  plantations  that  would 
spring  up  along  their  way  came  into  bearing,  —  that, 
however,  in  this  climate,  would  not  be  long,  even  for 
india-rubber. 


170 


GUATEMALA. 


We  had  not  finished  our  discussion  of  the  railways 
when  it  was  time  for  almuerzo  ;  and  we  went  to  the 
hotel,  where,  besides  a  good  meal  and  the  largest  plan- 
tains (thirteen  inches  long)  I  ever  saw,  there  were  a  num- 
ber of  captive  animals,  —  the  most  attractive  being  a 
bright  little  monkey  who  was  very  eager  to  open  my 
watch. 


Bread-fruit  (Artocarpus   incisa). 


CHAPTER   VI. 


GUATEMALA     CITY, 


THE  run  back  to  Escuintla  took  two  hours  and  a  half, 
and  our  comida  was  welcome  at  five  o'clock.  In 
the  evening  we  strolled  to  the  church,  —  an  ancient 
building,  —  and  found  all  the  inside  in  confusion ;  the 
altar  was  hidden  from  profane  eyes  by  a  cotton  curtain, 
while  preparations  were  being  made  for  the  fiesta  of 
December  8,  —  the  Immaculate  Conception.  One  of  the 
attendants  showed  us  with  great  pride  a  huge  doll,  repre- 
senting the  Virgin  Mary,  standing  on  a  blue  globe  studded 
with  silver  stars.  Beneath  her  feet  was  a  culebra  grande ; 
and  on  twisting  his  tail  the  serpent's  tongue  was  thrust 
out,  —  to  the  intense  delight  of  the  Indian  devotees. 
The  priest  —  if  such  were  his  dignity  —  wished  us  to 
examine  the  lace  robes  of  the  "  Queen  of  Heaven,"  and 
to  note  particularly  the  decorations.  As  we  returned  to 
the  hotel  we  heard  a  marimba,  and  soon  met  a  religious 
procession,  consisting  mostly  of  women.  In  a  small  plaza 
we  saw,  covering  a  figure  of  the  Virgin,  a  booth  decorated 
with  flowers  and  fruits,  —  especially  long  strings  of 
manzanillas.1  Before  this  image  men  and  women  (of  re- 
spectable rank,  we  were  assured)  were  dancing,  disguised 
in  horrible  masks  representing  devils  and  animals. 

1  These  little  apples  —  about  the  size  of  crab-apples  —  are  tasteless  un- 
cooked, but  make  an  excellent  dulce  ;  the  senoras  know  how  to  use  them  for 
a  sweet  pickle. 


172  GUATEMALA. 

Escuintla  is  the  favorite  watering-place  of  the  capital, 
and  its  baths  are  certainly  attractive,  —  especially  to  the 
Guatemalans,  whose  city  is  supplied  with  miserable  water. 
The  citizens,  some  five  thousand  in  number,  are  occupied 
in  commerce  and  agriculture.  In  the  near  future  Es- 
cuintla seems  destined  to  become  the  railroad  centre  of 
the  republic,  as  the  lines  from  Puerto  Barrios  and  from 
Ocos  will  meet  there. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  third  day  of  our  stay  at 
this  place  we  started  out  for  one  of  the  best  bathing- 
places,  on  the  way  taking  several  photographs.  At  a 
bath-house  we  passed,  the  men  bathing  in  the  tank  came 
out  frequently  through  the  wide-open  door  to  talk  with 
the  women  who  were  washing  clothes  in  the  brook  out- 
side. As  these  men  were  wholly  naked,  I  wished  to  pho- 
tograph this  "  custom  "  of  the  country ;  but  when  they 
saw  the  camera  they  modestly  retired  within  and  shut 
the  door. 

Our  own  bath,  an  open  pool  some  fifty  by  a  hun- 
dred feet,  was  of  a  depth  increasing  from  three  to  eight 
feet.  A  high  brick  wall  bounded  one  side,  and  we  were 
told  that  beyond  this  was  a  bath  for  women.  A  shed  in 
which  to  undress,  and  a  tile  platform  on  which  to  dry 
one's  self,  was  all  the  apparatus  ;  but  the  water  was  cool 
and  of  a  wonderful  clearness,  and  we  prolonged  our 
swim.  The  fee  was  only  a  medio  (five  cents).  In  the 
season,  which  extends  from  December  to  March,  doubt- 
less the  crowd  is  disagreeable ;  but  we  had  the  pool 
entirely  to  ourselves. 

After  almuerzo  we  started  for  Amatitlan  ;  and  a  weary, 
dusty  road  it  was,  although  the  main  road  to  the  capital 
from  the  port.    Frank's  mare  seemed  as  though  sunstruck, 


GUATEMALA  CITY.  173 

and  sank  down  powerless  by  the  road.  Fortunately  we 
were  near  a  brook.  We  poured  cool  water  on  her  head, 
and  she  soon  recovered.  We  met  great  herds  of  cattle 
on  their  way  from  the  dry  uplands  to  the  juicy  pastures 
of  the  lowlands,  and  also  stages  full  of  miserable  people, 
shaken  and  dusty,  and  with  the  look  one  might  fancy 
a  soul  in  purgatory  would  assume,  —  always  supposing 
it  had  a  face. 

The  Falls  of  the  Michatoya  by  the  roadside  relieved  the 
monotony  of  the  way,  but  were  not  so  beautiful  as  I  had 
expected  from  Stephens's  account.  We  found  the  rails  of 
the  ferro-carril  laid  as  far  as  Palin ; 1  and  it  was  graded 
beyond  Amatitlan,  on  its  way  to  Guatemala  City,  which 
it  has  since  (1886)  reached.  Basaltic  rock  was  abundant 
along  the  road,  and  so  were  beehives,  —  generally  made 
from  a  hollow  log  and  hung  horizontally  under  the  eaves 
of  the  houses.  Honey,  costing  us  a  medio  a  quart,  was 
very  good ;  wax,  however,  is  a  more  valuable  product,  as 
it  plays  a  very  important  part  in  the  service  of  religion, 
masses  costing  so  many  pounds  of  wax  candles.  The  bees 
seem  to  be  quite  inoffensive,  and  the  hives  often  hung 
close  to  the  house-doors.  Sugar  estates  were  common  in 
this  district,  the  water-power  being  generally  furnished 
by  the  Michatoya  river.  The  chimneys  of  the  ingenios 
did  not  indicate  severe  or  frequent  earthquakes  here. 
Oranges,  not  of  the  finest  quality,  sold  at  three  cents  a 
dozen.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  passed  some  cochineal 
plantations  in  a  rather  neglected  state,   and  soon  after 

1  Palin  is  the  market-garden  and  orchard  of  the  metropolis,  and  the  fruit 
is  good,  hut  not  cultivated  with  any  care  ;  nor  is  there  here  or  elsewhere  in 
Guatemala  any  attempt  to  procure  new  and  choice  varieties  of  either  fruits  or 
vegetables. 


174 


GUATEMALA. 


entered  Amatitlan,  where  we  found  a  pretty  little  posada. 
Our  mozos,  who  were  fine  fellows,  were  not  far  behind  us. 
The  barometer  told  us  that  we  were  3,650  feet  above  San 
Jose. 

In  the  morning,  finding  sacate  very  dear,  we  made 
up  our  bestias'  breakfast  with  maiz,  and  started  betimes. 
We  rode  to  the  Lago  de  Amatitlan,  which  is  very  shal- 
low, but  clear  near  the  shore.  In  the  depths  of  this  lake 
were  thrown,  according  to  tradition,  immense  treasures ; 
and  every  now  and  then  some  ancient  idol  or  bit  of  pot- 
tery is  dragged  up.  On  the  banks  were  willows  of  con- 
siderable   size ;    altogether,    the    whole    scene   was   very 

different  from  any- 
thing we  had  found 
in  the  republic. 
The  fishermen's 
boats  were  of  a  pe- 
culiar  shape,  — 
projecting  below 
the  water-line,  so 
that  a  cross-section 
amidships  would  be  like  the  diagram.  In  trying  a  short 
cut  back  to  the  main  road,  we  were  lost  in  a  cafetal,  and 
had  to  ask  the  people  in  charge  to  open  a  locked  gate 
and  let  us  out  upon  our  road.  We  ascended  seven  hun- 
dred feet  and  found  a  good  path.  In  various  places  there 
were  deposits  of  fine  pumice,  much  of  which  had  been 
excavated,  leaving  caverns  large  enough  to  shelter  many 
people  from  the  weather.  We  entered  the  capital  about 
noon,  meeting  Santiago  on  the  outskirts,  who  conducted 
us  to  the  Hotel  del  Globo.  At  this  hotel,  which  was  kept 
by  a  wretched   German,   we  found   our  mozos,   and   the 


Section  of   Boat   at  Amatitlan. 


GUATEMALA   CITY.  175 

luggage  we  had  sent  from  Coban  and  Antigua,  in  perfect 
order. 

We  were  now  in  the  principal  city  of  Central  America, 
—  a  city  well  worthy  of  study ;  but  not  at  all  a  represen- 
tative one,  for  all  that.  After  the  earthquake  of  Santa 
Marta,  in  1773,  had  ruined  the  beautiful  city  of  Antigua 
Guatemala,  the  inhabitants  sought  a  more  stable  site, 
farther  from  the  slopes  of  the  great  volcanoes ;  and  the 
valley  of  the  Hermitage  was  selected,  towards  the  north. 
Here  was  the  half  church,  half  fortress,  that  still  inter- 
ests the  visitor ;  but  all  around  was  a  sterile  plain,  and 
its  elevation  and  distance  from  any  port  seemed  most 
unfavorable  to  the  growth  of  a  large  city.  Eighty-four 
miles  separate  Guatemala  City  from  its  port  of  San  Jose ; 
while  the  Atlantic  ports  are  more  than  a  hundred  leagues 
away,  with  no  carriage-road  between.  In  spite  of  these 
and  other  disadvantages,  the  city  of  Saint  James  has  grown 
to  be  tbe  largest  and  most  important  of  Central  America. 
It  numbers  among  its  churches  some  of  the  finest  in 
the  country  ;  and  its  other  public  buildings  are  of  im- 
posing size,  if  devoid  of  any  architectural  merit.  Almost 
all  the  houses  are  of  one  story  ;  and  the  paved  streets, 
laid  out  at  right  angles,  and  of  nearly  uniform  width,  do 
not  attract  the  stranger  as  he  rides  over  the  exceedingly 
rough  pavement.  Indeed,  our  first  impressions  were 
very  unfavorable  ;  for  had  we  not  seen  Coban,  Quezalte- 
nango,  Solola,  and  Antigua,  —  all  of  them  much  more 
beautiful  than  any  part  of  Guatemala  City  ?  It  was  not 
until  we  were  well  out  of  the  city  that  we  were  pleased 
with  it,  —  not  until  it  became  a  confused  mass  of  white 
walls  almost  hidden  in  foliage,  with  the  church-towers 
rising  above,  and  in  the  distance  those  two  noble  volca- 


170 


GUATEMALA. 


GUATEMALA   CITY.  177 

noes  higher  still,  their  heads  well  in  the  clouds.  A  city 
of  sixty  thousand  inhabitants,  with  its  houses  extending 
six  miles  north  and  south,  with  a  population  of  many 
nations  and  tribes,  —  mingling  the  sixteenth  with  the 
nineteenth  century  in  many  customs  and  business  ways, 
—  was  not  to  be  seen  at  a  glance,  was  not  to  be  under- 
stood even  after  a  sojourn  of  a  few  days.  We  envied 
the  faculty  of  our  English  cousins  who  can  come  to 
America,  spend  a  few  weeks,  —  even  days,  —  and  then 
go  home  and  write  with  more  knowledge  of  the  places 
they  have  just  glanced  at  than  the  inhabitants  ever 
possessed. 

As  we  entered  the  city  we  passed  at  some  distance  the 
fort  of  San  Jose ;  and  it  was  significant  that  the  guns 
all  pointed  towards  the  city  it  was  supposed  to  protect. 
Taking  no  interest  in  military  matters,  which  I  am  con- 
strained to  believe  are  undesirable  if  not  unnecessary 
relics  of  a  barbarous  age,  I  did  not  go  any  nearer  to  see 
whether,  as  in  the  case  of  San  Felipe,  the  guns  were 
more  deadly  to  those  within  than  those  outside  the  fort ; 
but  the  walls  looked  queer,  and  we  were  assured  that 
they  were  of  adobe,  painted  to  imitate  stone  blocks,  —  a 
kind  of  Quaker  wall. 

Although  the  Plaza  is  always  the  principal  focus  of  a 
Spanish  town,  no  street  ever  leads  directly  to  it,  all  lead 
by  it,  as  if  accidentally ;  and  so  we  found  ourselves  in  the 
public  square  of  Guatemala  before  we  had  been  an  hour 
in  the  city.  It  was  simply  a  square  taken  from  the  tire- 
some rectangles  of  the  city  ;  and  only  on  one  side  had  it 
any  sufficiently  imposing  boundaries.  The  Government 
had  suppressed  the  priestly  power ;  but  its  monument 
still  towered  above  the  very  insignificant  buildings  used 

12 


178  GUATEMALA. 

as  Government  offices.  This  metropolitan  cathedral  is 
about  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  long,  with  some 
architectural  pretensions,  but  belittled  by  its  front  tow- 
ers, which  were  added  a  few  years  ago.  The  colossal 
statues  of  the  four  Evangelists  which  guard  the  platform 
in  front  detract  from  the  effect  of  a  good  facade.  The 
interior  is  plain.  In  a  vault  beneath  the  church  repose 
the  remains  of  Rafael  Carrera,  the  former  President  of 
the  republic.  On  the  evening  of  the  seventh  of  Decem- 
ber the  whole  front  was  illuminated  with  small  lamps  in 
honor  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  Within  was  a  large 
doll  dressed  to  represent  the  Virgin  Mary,  "  sanetissima, 
jmrissima,  caramba .'  —  carissima,"  as  we  heard  a  young 
heathen  exclaim.  She  stood  on  a  blue  ball  spangled 
with  stars,  and  trod  the  culebra  grande  as  at  Escuintla. 
All  the  choir-boys  wore  scarlet  robes.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  attendants  rather  hustled  the  gauze  angels, 
which  trod  on  snakes  in  imitation  of  Madonna.  The 
other  churches  were  numerous,  and  the  more  imposing 
date  from  the  days  of  the  Spanish  domination,  when  all 
good  things,  including  plenty  of  money,  were  in  priestly 
hands.  Perhaps  the  most  curious  of  all  the  churches  is 
that  one  on  the  Cerro  del  Carmen  which  antedates  the 
city.  Santiago  carried  my  camera  out  to  the  distant  hill, 
from  which  I  not  only  brought  away  a  picture  of  the 
church,  but  also  chose  that  position  for  a  view  of  the 
city,  after  patiently  waiting  for  the  clouds  to  roll  away 
from  the  volcanoes  of  Fues;o  and  Asjua.  The  church  it- 
self  seems  more  a  fortress  than  a  temple  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace.  The  heavy  gates  stood  ajar,  and  we  entered  the 
courtyard  of  two  centuries  agone.  In  the  midst  stood  a 
round  tower,  seemingly  solid,  and  decorated  by  a  fillet 


GUATEMALA   CITY. 


179 


carved  with  cherubim  in  low  relief.  Within  the  dark 
church  all  was  still  and  deserted ;  only  the  graves  be- 
neath the  pavement  of  tombstones  were  tenanted.  A 
curtain  hung  before  the  image  at  the  altar,  and  a  care- 
fully written  notice  requested  the  visitor  not  to  uncover 
the  Virgin  without  permission  of  the  sacristan.  In  the 
bell-tower  hung  a  bell  with  the  date  1748,  —  twenty-eight 


Church   of   the   Carmen. 


years  before  the  city  was  built  within  its  sound,  when  the 
heavy,  awkward  burden  must  have  been  brought  with  so 
much  difficulty  into  this  lonely  valley.  Two  others,  with 
the  painfully  modern  date  of  1872,  hung  by  its  side. 

We  wasted  the  whole  morning  in  a  futile  attempt  to 
call  on  the  President.  His  house  was  a  large  one-story 
building  at  the  corner  of  the  Plaza,  not  distinguishable 
from  its  surroundings  except  by  the  guard  of  soldiers  at 


180  GUATEMALA. 

the  gateway  to  its  interior  courtyard.  The  corporal  in 
charge  refused  to  take  my  card  in,  telling  several  false- 
hoods as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  President  his  master ; 
but  at  last  a  superior  officer  arrived,  who  at  once  ordered 
the  fellow  to  take  the  card,  and  we  were  soon  ushered, 
without  further  ceremony,  into  the  bedroom  of  the  Chief 
of  the  State.     It  is  the  custom  in  this 

O  O  O  country  to  arrange  the  chairs  in  a  re- 
0  ception-room   on  either  side  of   a  sofa 

O  O  O  and  at  right  angles  to  it ;  and  the  host 
is  expected  to  sit  on  the  sofa  and  enter- 
tain his  guests  on  either  hand.  President  Barrios  occu- 
pied this  place  of  honor  when  I  entered ;  but  as  we 
conversed  he  moved  about  until  we  sat  side  by  side. 
He  had  not  forgotten  our  interview  at  Totonicapan, 
and  was  affable,  seeming  to  understand  our  wishes  per- 
fectly. He  said  we  should  have  all  we  asked  for,  and 
called  an  officer  to  conduct  us  to  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,  where  Senor  Lainfiesta,  the  Secretario  de  Estado 
en  el  Despacho  de  Fomento,  also  promised  to  expedite  our 
business.  Some  days  later,  while  discussing  the  resources 
of  Guatemala  with  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Relations,  I 
spoke  incidentally  of  the  bad  arrangement  of  the  Guate- 
malan exhibit  at  Boston  in  the  International  Exhibition 
of  1883  ;  whereupon  the  minister  asked  me  to  accompany 
him  to  the  President  and  acquaint  him  with  the  matter. 
We  went  at  once,  —  simply  across  the  street ;  and  it 
was  gratifying  to  see  the  stupid  soldiers  and  the  inso- 
lent corporal  jump  up  and  salute  the  cabinet  officer  as 
we  passed  in  unannounced.  The  President's  room  was 
full  of  disorder, — articles  of  daily  use,  with  books,  guitars, 
newspapers,  all  mixed  together.     In  the  courtyard  was  a 


GUATEMALA   CITY.  181 

fine  bull  and  several  sheep,  just  imported.  I  felt  that 
Senor  Barrios  greatly  improved  on  acquaintance,  and  his 
bright,  quick  eye  was  decidedly  intelligent.  He  was  not 
tall,  but  stout,  with  an  air  of  military  stiffness  which 
wore  off  slowly.  In  our  conversation  I  asked  him  to 
refer  me  to  any  printed  accounts  of  his  personal  history ; 
but  he  smiled  and  said,  "  That,  senor,  has  never  been 
written."  Alas  for  the  progress  of  the  country  !  that 
life  was  soon  to  end  by  violence,  in  an  attempt  to  restore 
the  confederation  of  the  republics,  —  a  scheme  very  dear 
to  this  energetic  man,  who  in  ten  years  did  more  for  the 
internal  prosperity  of  his  own  republic  than  has  been 
effected  by  all  the  governments  of  Central  America  in 
fifty  years  ! 

There  is  in  Guatemala  but  one  theatre,  and  to  that 
we  went  on  a  Saturday  night.  The  building,  a  gen- 
eral  imitation  of  the  Eglise  de  la  Madeleine  in  Paris, 
stands  in  the  centre  of  a  plaza  of  considerable  size  laid 
out  as  a  public  garden.1  The  Government  subsidy  of 
$25,000  to  $40,000  permits  the  employment  of  good 
artists  for  five  or  six  months  in  the  year ;  and  we  saw  a 
company  fresh  from  Madrid  play  "  La  Mujer  del  Ven- 
gador."  The  ballet  was  tolerable,  —  the  males  far  sur- 
passing the  females  in  skill  and  agility.  The  tickets  are 
kept  by  the  visitor,  the  coupon  being  taken  at  the  en- 
trance.    The  auditorium  was    lighted   by  gasoline    sufii- 

1  It  was  in  this  garden  that  the  attempt  was  made  to  kill  President  Barrios, 
on  the  evening  of  Sunday,  April  13,  1884.  He  was  walking  with  General 
Barrundia,  the  Minister  of  War,  when  a  bomb  exploded,  severely  wounding 
both;  but  to  allay  public  excitement  the  President  bravely  walked  twice 
around  the  garden,  and  then  home.  The  would-be  assassin  was  captured,  and 
proved  to  be  a  former  conspirator  whom  Barrios  had  generously  pardoned. 
The  bomb  was  loaded  with  poisoned  bullets. 


182  GUATEMALA. 

ciently,  but  the  decoration  was  plain,  and  not  attractive. 
The  parquette  was  occupied  almost  exclusively  by  gen- 
tlemen, who  gazed  serenely  at  the  ladies  in  the  boxes 
which  surround  this,  and  were  gazed  upon  in  turn  in  a 
way  that  would  scandalize  even  a  Boston  audience.  The 
wife  of  the  President,  a  lady  of  great  personal  beauty, 
was  pointed  out  to  us ;  and  we  were  assured  that  it  was 
not  improper  to  stare  at  her,  even  with  glasses.  In  all 
such  places  the  audience  always  claims  quite  as  much  of 
my  attention  as  the  stage ;  and  among  the  boxes  I 
noticed  an  elderly  lady  of  decidedly  American  appearance. 
and  I  fancied  she  might  be  the  distinguished  Madame 
Susannah  Penol,  to  whom  I  had  letters.  A  few  days 
later,  as  I  was  ushered  into  her  reception-room,  I  saw  at 
once  that  I  was  not  mistaken ;  for  on  the  wall  was  a 
capital  portrait  of  the  lady  I  had  seen. 

Our  hotel  proved  a  most  wretched  one  ;  the  comida 
was  poor  in  quality  and  insufficient  in  quantity.  A 
ballet-dancer  and  her  pet  dog  took  most  of  the  best  bits 
as  the  various  dishes  were  passed  amoug  the  company. 
Our  host  proved  much  the  same  sort  as  we  had  met  at 
Quiche  ;  and  we  were  compelled  to  move  to  the  Gran 
Hotel,  which  we  found  very  comfortable. 

On  Sunday  the  correct  course  is  to  see  a  cock-fight  in 
the  forenoon,  a  bull-fight  in  the  afternoon,  and  to  go  to 
church  and  wash  up  in  the  evening.  We  varied  the  pro- 
gramme, and  in  the  morning  visited  the  Chief  of  Police, 
Colonel  Pratt  (formerly  of  New  York),  from  whom  we 
learned  many  points  of  interest  in  the  municipal  regula- 
tion of  this  city.  The  Cemeterio,  or  Campo  Santo,  next 
claimed  our  attention,  where  we  found  catacombs  partly 
underground  and  lighted  by  a  clerestory.     Several  very 


GUATEMALA   CITY.  183 

showy  monuments  have  been  erected  since  the  prohibition 
of  burial  within  the  churches,  though  but  few  of  them  are 
in  good  taste.  A  far  pleasanter  visit  was  to  the  "  Bola  de 
Oro  "  baths,  near  the  Teatro  Nacional,  where  we  had  two 
good  bath-rooms,  with  douche  and  plunge,  all  for  four 
reals.  The  water  in  the  city  is  not  good,  and  in  the 
baths  its  turbid  character  was  disagreeable.  The  pres- 
sure on  the  mains  is  regulated  by  water-towers,  usually 
built  into  the  house  ;  and  not  being  sufficient  to  supply 
a  douche,  the  water  for  this  purpose  has  to  be  pumped 
into  an  elevated  cistern.  From  the  bath  we  went  to  an 
exhibition  of  native  products  and  industries  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  Instituto  Nacional.  The  exhibition  was  a 
good  one,  and  some  of  the  products  —  as  chocolate,  rice, 
sugar,  and  wax  —  were  of  exceedingly  high  quality. 
More  interesting  to  me  was  the  Instituto  itself.  Origi- 
nally a  monastery,  the  Government  confiscated  it  when 
the  religious  orders  were  suppressed,  and  President  Barrios 
established  in  the  vacant  halls  a  college  which  would  be 
creditable  to  any  country.  We  went  through  the  reci- 
tation-rooms, the  physical  laboratory,  the  dormitories,  — 
where  the  iron  bedsteads  looked  neat  and  comfortable,  — 
into  the  printing-room ;  thence  through  the  garden  to  the 
menagerie,  where  were  many  good  specimens  of  native 
beasts  and  birds.  We  next  visited  the  meteorological  ob- 
servatory, the  faculty  room,  where  hung  a  dismal  paint- 
ing of  some  poor  Indios  being  torn  to  pieces  by  dogs  at 
the  command  of  the  Conquistadores,  and  finally  the  mu- 
seum, where,  together  with  stuffed  animals  and  birds,  a 
series  of  specimens  of  native  woods  (labelled  only  with 
native  names),  minerals,  ores,  and  the  rest,  we  found  a 
choice  collection  of  antiquities.     Here  on  the  walls  were 


184 


GUATEMALA. 


the  dress-swords  of   Alvarado  and   Cortez,   and   strange 

stirrups,  of  wrought  iron  of  great  size  and  weight,  that 

the  Conquistadores   had   brought 

from  Spain.1     In  the  cases  were 

grotesque  incense-burners  that  my 

friend  E.  Rockstroh  had  brought 

from  the  country  of   the  Lacan- 

dones  ;  idols  from  various  places, 

a  lava  mask  from  Copan  (figured 

on  page  200),  figurines  in  terra- 
cotta with   tails  and  tigre-heads, 

stone  figures  with  turbans,  —  all 

on  a  subsequent    morning    made  Spanish  stirrup. 

their  impression  on  my  plates.     But  an  incense-burner  of 

red  clay  found  in 
the  Lago  de  Ama- 
titlan  failed  to  ex- 
cite the  delicate 
film,  so  dark  was 
the  room  and  so  re- 
fractory the  color  ; 
the  form  was  most 
complicated,  quite 
rivalling  in  this  re- 
spect those  ancient 
Japanese  bronzes 
used   for  the  same 

1  One  of  these  stirrups 
(seen  in  the  figure),  given 
to  me  by  Don  Enrique 
Toriello,  then  Jei'e  at  Liv- 

Terra-cotta   Figurines.  .  _,.  ,    .,  ,  ., 

mgston,  now  Charge  d  Af- 
faires and  Consul-General  of  Guatemala  at  New  York,  weighs  five  and  a  half 
pounds,  and  is  seventeen  inches  long. 


GUATEMALA   CITY.  185 

purpose.  In  the  library  are  many  valuable  manuscripts, 
mostly  unpublished,  but  of  interest  to  the  historian  and 
antiquarian. 

Almost  worn  out  with  sight-seeing,  we  stopped  at  a 
restaurant  near  by,  and  with  our  lunch  had  some  native 
cerveza  negra,  —  an  unpleasant  beer  brewed  from  mo- 
lasses. We  had  lost  the  cock-fight ;  but  there  was  to  be 
a  bull-fight  in  the  afternoon,  to  which  we  were  strangely 
attracted,  and  we  purchased  seats  under  the  roof  at 
three  reals,  walking  over  to  the  Plaza  de  Toros  at  four 
o'clock.  There  was  a  fair  audience  —  perhaps  six  or 
seven  thousand  —  in  the  immense  circular  building  or 
enclosure.  As  an  overture  we  had  an  exhibition-drill. 
The  soldiers  wore  red  jackets,  blue  trousers,  and  white 
caps  and  cross-belts.  The  evolutions  were  well  done  to 
the  bugle-notes,  azd  the  whole  performance  was  to  me 
much  like  a  ballet,  —  simply  a  complicated  series  of  pre- 
concerted movements  of  the  human  body. 

A  horseman  clad  in  black,  mounted  on  a  superb  white 
horse,  then  rode  across  the  ring  and  formally  asked  leave  of 
the  Chief  of  the  Corrida  to  open  the  games.  The  Chief 
tossed  him  a  roll  of  colored  paper,  which  he  carried  to 
the  Amador  del  Toro  and  then  backed  gracefully  out  of 
the  enclosure.  Then  came  the  Espada,  Manuel  Aguilar  of 
Seville,  with  three  Banderilleros  and  as  many  Picadores, 
followed  by  horses,  mules,  and  mozos.  There  were  only 
five  "  bulls,"  of  which  three  were  oxen,  —  and  they 
might  all  have  been,  for  any  fight  they  showed.  The 
Picadores  did  their  work,  and  the  Primero  Espada  did 
some  excellent  dodging ;  but  this  did  not  satisfy  us,  so 
bloodthirsty  had  we  become.  At  first  we  wanted  to  have 
a  horse  killed,  and  at  last  nothing  short  of  the  death  of 


186  GUATEMALA. 

a  man  would  satisfy  us.  But  we  were  not  to  see  any- 
thing of  the  kind  ;  and  after  the  bulls  had  trotted  about 
the  Plaza  until  half-past  five,  the  show  was  over,  and  the 
unsatisfied  audience  dispersed.  What  would  a  Roman 
audience  have  done  in  the  Flavian  amphitheatre,  had 
their  wild-beast  propensities  been  thus  excited  and  disap- 
pointed ?  So  far  as  the  City  of  Guatemala  is  concerned, 
the  bull-fight  is  growing  unfashionable,  and  even  with  the 
populace  such  uninteresting  shows  cannot  long  attract. 
The  Guatemaltecans  should  import  some  of  the  fashion- 
able "  Cribb  Clubs "  of  our  Northern  cities,  if  they  still 
wish  to  see  human  blood  flow.  At  present  there  is  more 
brutality  in  the  sparring  exhibitions  of  Boston  than  in 
the  bull-fights  of  the  Central  American  city. 

Our  day  was  not  yet  ended  ;  and  as  we  crossed  the  Plaza 
in  the  evening,  on  returning  from  a  call  on  a  friend,  we 
found  the  pavement  crowded  with  people  and  dotted  with 
little  fires,  over  which  various  Indios  were  cooking  dough- 
nuts, fritters,  and  chocolate.  The  fritters  were  eaten 
with  plenty  of  honey,  and  were  very  palatable. 

Another  night  we  had  an  opportunity  to  see  one  of  the 
religious  processions  so  common  in  former  days,  —  after- 
wards prohibited  by  law,  but  now  occasionally  allowed,  as 
there  is  little  clanger  of  a  renewal  of  the  priestly  power,  and 
these  spectacles  please  the  priests,  women,  and  children. 
This  particular  one,  which  we  attended  in  part,  was  in 
honor  of  "  Nuestra  Senora  de  Guadeloupe."  A  huge  doll, 
all  lace  and  tinsel,  was  carried  through  the  streets  with 
music,  flowers,  and  fireworks.  It  was  a  miracle  that  the 
image  was  not  set  on  fire,  —  especially  when  the  "  toro," 
all  blazing  with  squibs  and  Roman  candles,  ran  through 
the  crowd ;   but  no  accident  befell,  so  far  as  I  knew.     I 


GUATEMALA  CITY.  187 

am  somewhat  confused  as  to  the  person  the  image  repre- 
sented, but  was  told  that  she  was  visiting  the  holy  lady 
(santissima  senora)  who  lived  in  the  church  to  which  the 
procession  marched.  On  arriving  at  the  door  the  visitor 
was  obliged  to  tip  over  and  go  in  head  first  in  a  horizon- 
tal position.  It  was  no  doubt  all  right,  but  it  seemed  so 
utterly  undignified  that  we  did  not  care  to  go  into  the 
church  and  see  how  she  got  up  again. 

At  the  hippodrome  in  the  plain  of  Yocotenango,  to 
which  the  horse-cars  run  from  the  grand  Plaza,  horse-races 
are  held  in  May,  August,  and  November,  at  which  times 
prizes  are  offered  by  the  Government  and  the  Sociedad 
Zootecnica. 

It  was  interesting  to  see  how  the  State  had  occupied 
the  buildings  of  the  banished  or  suppressed  communities. 
In  the  Franciscan  convent  was  the  Revenue  and  Cus- 
toms Bureau  ;  the  Post-Office  occupied  the  church  and 
convent  of  the  Third  Order  (of  St.  Francis) ;  the  Treasury 
and  Telegraphs  divide  the  fine  house  formerly  the  home 
of  the  suppressed  Sociedad  Economica  ;  and  the  Bureau  of 
Liquors  and  Tobacco  holds  the  splendid  building  of  the 
Dominican  friars.  Other  of  the  confiscated  edifices  are 
used  as  schools,  and  are  most  admirably  suited  to  the  pur- 
pose. There  are  eight  elementary  schools  for  boys,  and  ten 
for  girls  ;  two  finishing  schools  or  academies  for  each  sex ; 
six  night-schools  for  artisans  and  others;  and  two  asylums, 
which  collect  in  the  morning  the  young  children  of  poor 
parents,  instruct  and  feed  them,  and  return  them  at  night 
to  their  homes.  There  are  two  establishments  for  second- 
ary instruction,  one  for  each  sex,  directed  by  foreign  pro- 
fessors and  well  installed ;  one  is  the  Institute)  Nacional, 
already  mentioned.     All  these  institutions  are  supported 


188  GUATEMALA. 

by  the  Government,  much  of  the  system  being  due  to  the 
enlightened  policy  of  General  Barrios.  Provided  for  spe- 
cial instruction,  and  also  supported  in  the  same  way, 
are  the  Technical  School  (Escuela  de  Artes  y  Oficios),  well 
provided  with  laboratories  and  steam-power ;  the  Agricul- 
tural College,  with  fields  near  the  city  for  practical  work ; 
a  Business  School,  with  night  sessions  for  clerks ;  a  Law 
School,  Medical  School  (Medicina  y  Farmacia),  Normal 
School,  Polytechnic  Institute,  and  School  of  Design  : 
besides  many  schools  supported  by  private  means. 

Benevolent  institutions,  too,  are  not  wanting,  —  among 
them  the  Asylum  for  Orphans  and  Invalids  ;  the  Central 
Hospital,  where  four  hundred  patients  are  cared  for  daily  ; 
and  the  Military  Hospital  in  the  suburbs.  The  Peniten- 
tiary seems  to  be  well  conducted,  and  the  House  of  Cor- 
rection has  extensive  workshops,  in  which  good  work  is 
done.  No  less  than  twenty  public  fountains  and  washing- 
places  adorn  and  keep  the  city  clean. 

All  business  is  not  conducted  in  the  shops,  which  are 
small,  and  seldom  make  much  display  ;  but  there  are  two 
markets,  one  of  which,  the  Nacional,  is  very  extensive, 
and  seems  to  contain  within  its  bounds  merchandise  of 
every  sort,  —  in  one  place  pottery,  in  another  fruit  ; 
saddlery  and  cloths,  confectionery  and  hardware,  bread 
and  guns,  are  close  at  hand.  The  prices  are  high,  even 
of  the  necessaries  of  life ;  and  the  cheapest  things  were 
pottery  and  nets,  both  of  Indian  manufacture.  It  was 
not  a  little  amusing  to  remember  that  the  great  retail 
stores  of  Boston  were  imitating  the  variety-shops  of  this 
uncommercial  city,  and  collecting  within  their  walls  all 
kinds  of  goods,  —  from  shoes  to  hats,  from  dinner-sets 
to  carpets,  from  stoves  to  books.     The  country  variety- 


GUATEMALA   CITY. 


189 


stores  of  New  England  are  outdone  in  both  cases.  As 
almost  everywhere  else,  it  is  expected  that  the  purchaser 
will  try  to  beat  down  the  price.  Among  the  curiosities 
of  the  market  we  found  native  jackets  (guepUes)  made  in 
the  simplest  manner,  but  embroidered  with  the  greatest 
labor  and  most  barbaric  fancy  of  color  and  form.  These 
the  women  take  great  pride  in  ;  and  the  showy  garments 
cloak  many  deficiencies  in  the  rest  of  the  wardrobe. 


Indian    Pottery. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

GUATEMALA    TO    ESQUIPULAS. 

EARLY  one  morning  Frank  and  I  rode  out  of  the  city 
and  up  hill  to  an  elevation  of  twelve  hundred 
feet,  passing  the  aqueduct  and  getting  several  fine  views 
of  the  capital,  —  better  in  some  respects  than  the  view  from 
the  Cerro  del  Carmen  ;  for  now  the  two  volcanoes  were 
clear.  As  the  road  was  excellent,  and  our  animals  were 
in  thorough  trim,  we  both  got  more  enjoyment  in  the 
saddle  than  from  almost  any  other  mode  of  sight-seeing. 
We  were  leaving  the  volcanoes  of  Antigua ;  but  Pacaya 
was  before  us,  and  we  had  entered  a  distinctly  volcanic 

region.  We  passed 
several  small  vil- 
lages, in  one  of  which 
we  breakfasted  on 
honey  and  tortillas. 
Cerro  Redondo  is  a 
small  hamlet  of  perhaps  a  thousand  inhabitants,  whose 
chief  occupation  is  coffee-culture.  The  "round  hill  "  which 
gives  the  name  is  a  small,  very  regular  volcanic  cone,  — 
one  of  a  number  less  regular  extending  towards  the  Pacific 
coast.  Here  in  the  road-cut  were  black  volcanic  sands 
and  plenty  of  vesicular  lava.  As  the  daylight  waned,  we 
met  men,  women,  and  children  coming  from  their  clay's 
work  in  the  cat* etal,  and  a  contented,  happy  company  they 


Pacaya,   Fuego,    Agua. 


GUATEMALA  TO  ESQUIPULAS.  191 

were.  We  did  not  arrive  at  the  chief  town  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Santa  Rosa,  Cuajinicuilapa,  —  or  Cuilapa,  as  it  is 
often  abbreviated, — until  nine  o'clock.  Here  we  found  a 
wretched  posada,  where  we  shared  our  room  with  an  enor- 
mous cockroach  an  inch  wide  and  two  and  three  quarter 
inches  long.  Although  we  had  a  letter  to  the  Jefe  from 
the  Department  of  State,  we  did  not  care  to  wait  in  the 
morning  for  him  to  get  up ;  so  after  climbing  into  the 
church-tower  and  over  the  roof,  we  rode  on  to  the  fine 
old  bridge  over  the  Rio  de  los  Esclavos.  This,  consisting 
of  ten  masonry  arches  spanning  a  rocky  ravine,  bears  the 
dates  1592-1852.  Our  path  followed  the  valley  for  some 
time,  and  at  a  convenient  place  we  had  a  bath  in  the 
rapid  river,  whose  waters  were  agreeably  cool.  As  we 
left  the  river  our  path  led  up  a  very  steep  ascent 
nearly  eighteen  hundred  feet.  On  the  way  we  had  sev- 
eral fine  views  of  the  "  Hunapu  "  volcanoes,  —  Pacaya, 
Fuego,  Agua,  and  Acatenango,  — clustered  together,  and  in 
the  clear  atmosphere 
seeming  to  be  close  at 
hand.  Pacaya  seemed 
to  have  the  largest 
crater,    while    Agua 

had  none  visible  from  this  side.  On  the  top  of  this  "  lad- 
der" we  rested  our  animals  on  a  grassy  plain  where  they 
could  pasture.  We  had  noticed  cotton-trees  (Bombax)  on 
the  way  up,  and  we  found  some  wild  pines  that  the  men 
repairing  the  road  had  left,  and  we  tracked  the  fruit, 
which  is  pleasantly  acid,  to  the  pines  used  here  for 
hedging  (Bromelia  Pinguin).  The  curious  umbrella-ants 
(GEcodoma)  were  common  on  the  path,  each  carrying  its 
bit  of  leaf  wherewith  to  stock  the  formicarium.     A  puff 


Hunapu  from   the    East. 


192  GUATEMALA. 

of  the  breath  would  overset  these  heavy  sail-bearers,  which 
go  in  Indian  file.  We  had  no  time  to  follow  them  home 
on  this  occasion  ; *  for  when  we  came  to  Azacualpa,  still 
some  eight  leagues  from  Jutiapa,  we  found  this  large  village 
(twelve  hundred  inhabitants)  had  no  posada.  Indeed,  it 
had  nothing  but  corn  and  beans,  and  even  water  was 
scarce ;  so  we  pushed  on  into  the  night  through  an  un- 
known country.  After  dark  we  could  buy  no  maiz  for  our 
bestias,  though  a  senora  sold  us  a  bottle  of  excellent  honey. 
We  had  seen  from  the  hill  above,  in  the  fading  light,  a 
magnificent  valle}7'  of  great  extent,  broken  by  ridges  and 
ravines,  and  we  had  hoped  to  find  some  decent  shelter. 
But  when  the  moon  rose  over  a  volcano,  we  decided  to 
camp ;  and  picketing  our  steeds  on  a  fine  pasture,  we 
slept  on  our  blankets,  undisturbed  except  by  the  wind, 
which  was  strong  at  times.  Our  barometer  told  us  we 
were  3,152  feet  above  the  sea.  I  noticed  that  in  the 
highlands  it  was  apt  to  be  windy  at  night. 

In  the  morning  our  honey,  a  little  bread,  and  some 
unripe  oranges  gave  us  a  very  unsubstantial  meal ;  never- 
theless at  daybreak  we  saddled  and  rode  on.  We  saw 
many  pigeons,  little  gray  quails  that  ran  along  the  path, 
and  crows.  At  La  Paz  we  found  a  very  neat  house, 
where  we  stopped  for  almuerzo ;  but  alas  for  external 
signs  !  my  bowl  of  black-bean  soup  contained  a  patriarchal 
cockroach.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  through  the  open  door 
our  animals  eating;  a  srood  breakfast  of  sacaton.  A  little 
farther  on  was  a  clear  stream  ;  but  most  of  the  way  was 
over  a  dusty  plain  among  espina  blancas-  (Acacia)  and 

1  See  note  on  Zompopas  in  the  Appendix. 

2  These  acacias  not  only  yield  gum-arabic,  but  the  pods  contain  so  much 
tannin  that  they  are  used  to  make  ink. 


GUATEMALA   TO   ESQUIPULAS.  193 

calabash-trees,  lava  streams  and  blocks.  The  surface  of 
the  ground  was  cracking  open  with  dry  shrinkage,  and 
there  was  little  to  interest  us.  Our  Yankee  nature  asserted 
itself,  and  we  whittled  at  some  of  the  little  purple-spotted 
calabashes  as  we  rode  along.  The  rind  is  very  hard,  even 
in  young  fruit ;  and  the  inside  is  solid  and  consistent  as 
an  unripe  squash.  The  odd-looking,  speckled  blossoms 
spring  from  the  trunk  of  the  crabbed-looking  tree  (Cres- 
centia  cnjete). 

About  noon  we  came  to  Jutiapa,  situated  on  a  plain 
through  which  the  Rio  Salado  has  cut  a  deep  valley. 
We  entered  by  a  gateway  and  found  the  Plaza.  This 
was  paved,  and  in  the  midst  a  dribbling  fountain  indicated 
a  very  insufficient  water-supply  for  the  town.  Before  us 
was  the  church,  behind  us  the  Casa  Nacional,  and  the 
other  sides  were  occupied  by  stores  and  the  house  of  the 
Jefe.  Our  anxious  inquiries  for  a  posada  were  met  with 
the  too  frequent  answer  that  there  was  no  such  thing 
here  in  this  town  of  some  twelve  hundred  inhabitants. 
Good  fortune  directed  us  to  inquire  of  a  person  in  a  shop 
at  a  corner  just  beyond  the  church  ;  and  this  resulted  in 
a  most  hospitable  invitation  to  the  house  of  Senor  Alonzo 
Rozales,  a  Spanish  gentleman  whose  name  will  be  always 
a  charm  to  conjure  by.  He  gave  us  a  large  room  opening 
to  the  street  as  well  as  into  the  patio,  and  we  at  once  felt 
at  home.  We  had  walked  many  miles,  I  leading,  Frank 
driving,  the  poor  tired  animals.  It  was  fifteen  leagues 
from  Cuilapa  to  Jutiapa,  and  the  road  was  very  hard  and 
maiz  very  scarce.  We  were  obliged  to  wait  here  for  our 
mozos,  whom  we  had  sent  from  Guatemala  but  had  not 
overtaken  on  the  road ;  and  we  were  happy  enough  that 
the  necessary  delay  came  in  so  comfortable  a  place.     Our 

13 


194  GUATEMALA. 

host  brought  us  new  mats  for  our  bedsteads,  and  pillows 
trimmed  with  lace  in  Spanish  style ;  then,  after  killing  a 
very  large  and  crusty  scorpion  which  had  established  him- 
self over  the  door,  presented  us  with  a  bottle  of  Val  de 
Pena, —  a  fine  red  wine  from  Spain,  — and  left  us  to  our 
rest. 

Sunday  morning  came,  but  no  signs  of  our  mozos.  The 
church  was  closed,  as  there  was  no  resident  padre  ;  we  got 
in,  however,  while  an  attendant  opened  it  to  do  some  work 
on  the  bells.  The  roof  was  apparently  arranged  for  a 
fortification.  Within  we  saw  the  skull  of  an  Indio  (?) 
built  into  the  stucco  over  the  agua  bendita,  and  a  painting 
representing  a  padre  offering  the  consecrated  wafer  to  a 
kneeling  ass,  —  apparently  in  the  office  of  the  communion, 
as  the  padre  holds  the  chalice  in  his  other  hand.  A 
figure  in  the  background  —  perhaps  the  owner  of  the  ass 
—  has  long  mustachios,  wears  a  turban,  and  holds  up  his 
hands  in  astonishment.  No  explanation  of  this  curious 
subject  could  be  obtained  there  ;  and  after  rejecting  Balaam 
and  his  ass,  we  concluded  that  this  was  the  ass  on  which 
Christ  rode  to  Jerusalem.  As  volcanoes  are  baptized 
into  the  Church,  why  not  asses  ? 

There  was  a  worn-out,  poverty-stricken  appearance  to 
the  town  ;  not  a  cultivated  plant  to  be  seen,  as  all  the 
vegetables  and  fruits  are  grown  at  some  distance,  in  the 
more  fertile  mountain  valleys.  Some  of  the  larger 
houses,  indeed,  have  a  few  flowers  in  their  patio ;  but 
these  are  quite  invisible  from  the  street.  No  fruit  was 
in  the  shops  or  for  sale  in  the  streets,  and  our  animals 
were  fed  on  squashes.  Perhaps  at  the  annual  fair 
(November  15)  this  ancient  town,  which  under  the 
name  of  Xutiapan  existed  long  before  the  Conquest,  may 


GUATEMALA   TO   ESQUIPULAS.  195 

assume  a  livelier  appearance.  Still  anxious  about  our 
mozos,  we  walked  back  several  miles  on  our  road,  though 
the  high  wind  made  travelling  very  disagreeable.  At  last, 
in  the  afternoon,  Santiago  arrived  with  the  mozo  we  had 
hired  in  Guatemala ;  and  to  our  astonishment  the  latter 
brought  with  him  his  wife  and  little  daughter.  This  was 
more  of  a  caravan  than  we  had  bargained  for,  and  I  was 
puzzled ;  but  the  woman  seemed  quiet  and  inoffensive, 
and  the  child,  who  could  hardly  walk,  and  was  carried 
always  on  her  mother's  back,  was  a  good  little  thing,  — 
indeed,  the  most  reasonable  child  I  ever  saw.  I  acqui- 
esced in  the  arrangement  the  more  readily  because  I  saw 
that  the  woman  was  unwilling  to  have  her  husband  go 
awav  so  far  from  home  that  he  might  not  return  to  her. 
He  was  a  handsome,  strong  fellow,  and  proved  well 
worth  all  the  woman's  care. 

On  Monday  we  started  our  mozos  and  luggage  at  six  in 
the  morning,  and  left  our  kind  host  before  seven.  We 
were  almost  surrounded  by  small  volcanic  cones,  but 
Suchitan  was  the  only  one  we  identified.  This  gave 
little  signs  of  its  fiery  origin  to  unpractised  eyes,  for 
the  lower  slopes  were  covered  with  shrubs,  and  here 
and  there  a  little  house  peeped  out  among  the  trees, 
while  fields  extended  to  the  cloudy  summit.  So  severe 
was  the  wind  on  the  plain  at  the  base  of  this  volcano 
that  our  animals  several  times  turned  from  the  path  to 
seek  shelter.  Three  leagues  out  we  passed  Achuapa,  and 
five  leagues  farther  Horcones,  —  both  small  villages. 
Clematis  grew  over  the  bushes  and  softened  the  rough 
appearance  of  the  calabash-trees  and  espina  blancas,  — 
almost  the  only  vegetation  on  this  dry  and  unpromising 
upland.     We   had  frequently  seen   the    ocean   from  our 


196  GUATEMALA. 

highway  during  the  past  few  days,  and  now  we  saw  the 
volcanoes  of  Salvador,  one  of  wThich  wras  smoking,  which  I 
supposed  to  be  Izalco.  Blocks  of  lava  were  scattered  all 
over  the  plain,  as  if  some  bed  of  lava  had  been  broken  up 
and  brought  down  in  fragments  by  an  avalanche.  The 
stone  was  well  suited  for  the  manufacture  of  metatles,  or 
tortilla-stones,  and  fragments  were  scattered  all  about,  as 
well  as  several  half-finished  metatles,  spoiled  by  an  un- 
lucky blow.  We  could  not  find  any  one  at  wrork,  and 
did  not  learn  with  what  tools  this  rather  difficult  stone- 
cutting  is  accomplished.  The  honey  of  Suchitan  is  very 
good,  perhaps  made  partly  from  acacia-flowers ;  its  flavor 
being  not  unlike  that  of  the  famous  honey  of  Auvergne 
in  France,  —  also,  a  region  of  extinct  volcanoes. 

We  arrived  at  Santa  Catarina  about  three  in  the  after- 
noon ;  there,  while  our  animals  rested  and  fed  in  front  of 
the  cabildo,  we  bespoke  a  comida  at  a  little  cook-shop  in 
the  Plaza,  and  then  explored  the  poor  little  church,  which 
was  dark,  windowless,  and  wholly  bespattered  with  bat- 
filth,  —  pictures,  crucifix  and  all.  We  beat  a  hasty 
retreat  from  this  unseemly  sanctuary ;  and  after  a  wash 
in  the  public  fountain,  returned  to  the  cocina,  where  we 
were  served  with  tortillas,  fried  eggs,  plantains,  frijoles, 
and  coffee,  —  for  which  we  paid  three  reals,  or  thirty-seven 
and  a  half  cents.  As  wre  left  the  town  we  passed  a  noisy 
trapiche,  or  sugar-mill,  consisting  of  three  vertical  wooden 
rollers  turned  by  four  oxen.  It  sounded  very  like  one  of 
the  ancient  cider-mills  in  New  England.  A  good  mill 
could  make  a  fair  percentage  of  sugar  out  of  the  crushed 
cane  passing  through  these  rollers. 

From  the  town  wre  found  a  rather  steep  descent,  and  at 
the  bottom  a  large  river  to  ford,  wrhose  bed  was  full  of 


GUATEMALA   TO   ESQUIPULAS.  197 

loose  rocks,  —  making  the  passage  very  difficult.  We 
had  not  gone  two  leagues  from  Santa  Catarina  before 
darkness  came  on,  and  we  camped  by  the  roadside.  A 
cheery  fire  and  our  blankets  made  the  camp  very  com- 
fortable, and  the  little  child  was  quiet  all  night,  —  not 
civilized  enough,  Frank  declared,  to  cry  instead  of  sleep. 
The  dew-fall  was  very  heavy ;  it  is  probably  always 
so  at  this  dry  season. 

We  were  up  at  light,  and  sent  the  men  to  find  water 
while  we  got  the  fire  burning  and  made  coffee.  With 
honey  and  wheaten  rolls  we  breakfasted  well,  —  indeed, 
our  out-door  life  in  this  good  climate  made  us  feel  at 
peace,  with  all  men,  and  satisfied  —  nay,  pleased  —  with 
everything  that  befell  us.  The  morning  was  cloudy  ;  but 
we  knew  the  clouds  did  not  mean  rain  at  this  season,  and 
we  were  in  the  saddle  before  the  dew  was  quite  dried  from 
our  blankets.  As  we  went  along  we  several  times  passed 
black  obsidian  chips,  some  recent,  but  most  of  them  quite 
old,  —  evidently  the  refuse  of  the  knife-makers,  whose 
work  in  ancient  times  was  much  in  demand ;  the  long, 
slim  blades  used  in  circumcision  were  never  used  but 
once,  then  consecrated  in  the  temples  or  broken ;  and 
those  knives  used  for  other  purposes  were  of  course  brit- 
tle, and  soon  destroyed. 

We  arrived  at  Agua  Blanca  about  eight  o'clock,  and 
stopped  to  feed  our  bestias  on  cornstalks  and  squashes. 
The  former  were  kept  high  up  in  the  trees,  which  neither 
cows  nor  pigs  could  climb,  while  the  squashes  in  endless 
variety  nearly  filled  a  small  house,  through  whose  bambu 
walls  the  wandering  hosrs  could  smell  the  coveted  food. 
The  town  is  appropriately  named  "  White  Water,"  for 
the  only  supply  was  very  milky  in  appearance  and  very 


198 


GUATEMALA. 


clayey  in  taste.  Almost  directly  over  the  town,  the  volcano 
of  Monte  Rico,  long  extinct,  is  the  most  striking  feature  in 
the  landscape.  Cultivated  to  the  very  edge  of  the  crater, 
which   is  said  to  contain  a  large  lake,  the  fertility  of  the 

fields  was  greatest  at  the 
top,  —  clue,  no  doubt,  to 
the  waters  of  the  crater  ; 
while  the  lower  slopes  are 
comparatively  dry  and  bar- 
ren. Around  the  base  are 
many  smaller  cones,  which 
remind  one  of  those  which 
dot  the  slopes  of  iEtna  and 
give  the  Sicilian  volcano 
the  name  "Mother  of 
Mountains."  Not  a  league 
beyond  we  crossed  the  only 
clear  stream  we  saw  all 
day  ;  but  even  this  water 
was  not  very  pleasing  to 
the  taste.  Bars  across  the 
road  made  us  fear  we  had 
missed  the  path  and  were 
no  longer  in  the  "  camino 
real;  "  we  were,  neverthe- 
less. At  Piedras  Gordas, 
in  the  afternoon,  we  stopped  for  food,  in  hopes  of  hearing 
tidings  of  our  guide  and  mozos,  who  had  started  before  us. 
Our  frugal  meal  of  plantains,  tortillas,  and  red  bananas 
was  constantly  interrupted  by  the  pigs  who  were  stealing 
the  sacaton  from  our  hungry  animals.  For  miles  there 
were  booths  and  stone  fireplaces  marking  the  camps  of  the 


Mozo  on   the    Road. 


GUATEMALA   TO   ESQUIPULAS.  199 

pilgrims  who  journey  to  the  sacred  Sanctuario  de  Esqui- 
pulas.  At  six  o'clock  we  camped  in  a  fine  pine-forest 
high  up  in  the  mountains.  No  human  habitation  was 
near,  but  a  few  cattle  were  seen  here  and  there.  The  pas- 
turage was  good  between  the  scattered  trees  of  this  grand 
park.  We  built  a  roaring  fire,  which  cast  curious  shadows 
from  the  trees,  pegged  our  bestias  securely,  enjoyed 
a  good  lomilomi,  or  Hawaiian  massage,  and  both  fell 
asleep.  Suddenly  I  awoke  with  the  strong  impression 
that  something  was  wrong.  There  was  no  noise,  not 
even  the  cry  of  a  night-bird ;  only  the  soft  sough  of  the 
night-breezes  in  the  pine-tops.  Frank  was  breathing 
quietly  at  my  side,  the  fire  was  out,  and  the  night  was 
cold  outside  the  blankets.  As  I  sat  up  to  look  about,  a 
dark  object  caught  my  eye  in  the  dim  distance,  and 
without  much  thought  or  reason  I  went  towards  it, 
simply  because  I  felt  impelled  to  do  so.  There  was  no 
consideration  of  personal  danger,  but  an  overpowering 
feeling  that  all  was  not  as  it  should  be.  The  first 
thought  as  I  got  near  the  black  object,  which  seemed  to 
move  towards  me,  was  amusing,  —  it  looked  like  the 
devil ;  there  were  the  short,  straight  horns,  the  hoofs, 
and  I  saw  the  switch  of  a  tail.  It  was  very  like  a 
dream.  I  had  seen  the  "  father  of  lies "  in  many  a 
human  form,  but  never  so  undisguised ;  and  I  was  filled 
with  curiosity.  The  next  moment  a  joyful  hinny  dis- 
covered our  mare  Mabel,  who  recognized  me  before  I 
could  plainly  see  her.  Putting  my  arm  around  her 
neck,  I  found  the  remnant  of  the  horse-hair  lariat  with 
which  Frank  had  fastened  her.  I  tried  to  return  to 
camp,  more  than  an  eighth  of  a  mile  away,  but  could 
not  orient  myself  in  the  dark,  and  had  to  call  to  Frank. 


200  GUATEMALA. 

Guided  by  his  answer,  I  retraced  my  steps,  stumbling 
into  a  brook  I  had  unconsciously  crossed  in  going  out ; 
and  we  found  the  peg  and  again  secured  Mabel.  In  this 
curious  way  we  were  saved  a  long  hunt  for  the  next 
day. 

At  daylight  we  were  on  a  very  good  road,  and  soon 
after  eight  we  stopped  at  a  sugar-plantation  for  some 
coffee  and  frijoles  negras.  Here  was  a  fine  stream,  to- 
gether with  vats  formerly  used  for  indigo-making,  now 
useless.  Hill  rose  above  hill,  and  Esquipulas  seemed  as 
far  away  as  ever.  By  the  roadside  were  the  pilgrim  fire- 
places, frequent  and  extensive,  and  we  noticed  a  large 
deposit  of  a  pink-colored  rock,  which  I  supposed  might 
contain  manganese  (Rhodonite).  The  specimens  I  brought 
away,  I  regret  to  say,  were  afterwards  left  at  one  of  our 
camps.  The  last  hill  at  length  climbed,  before  us.  lay  an 
extensive  valley  reaching  to  the  distant  mountains  of 
Merendon,  the  boundary  of  Spanish  Honduras. 


Lava    Mask   in   the    Museo    Nacional. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

ESQUIPULAS    AND    QUIEIGUA. 

I  HAVE  grouped  in  this  chapter  two  most  interesting 
monuments  of  the  past,  —  a  Christian  temple  whose 
mission  seems  to  have  been  fulfilled,  and  a  pagan  grave- 
yard where  stand  the  monuments  of  unknown  kings  or 
heroes.  They  are  not  inaptly  joined  ;  for  in  this  busy, 
matter-of-fact,  commercial  age,  it  is  well  that  the  less  per- 
ishable records  of  our  brothers  who  have  preceded  us  in 
the  unending  march  of  life  upon  this  globe  should  detain 
us,  if  but  for  a  moment,  with  the  lessons  they  may  teach 
to  thoughtful  minds,  —  the  temple  raised  by  pious  labor  to 
signify  that  there  is  more  than  the  present  to  live  for, 
the  monuments  of  the  dead  to  carry  on  the  personalities 
so  soon  lost  in  earthly  life. 

We  gazed  from  the  precipice  at  the  white  building, 
large  even  on  so  vast  a  plain,  and  began  the  steep  de- 
scent. The  little  village  was  almost  dead  in  appearance. 
There  were  many  houses  and  rooms  to  let,  but  no 
posada ;  and  as  our  mozos  had  not  arrived,  we  rode 
to  the  Santuario  down  the  single  street  of  the  town.  It 
was  wide,  paved  with  cobbles,  and  bordered  on  either  side 
by  the  booths  and  lodging-sheds  for  the  merchants  and 
devotees  who  still  crowd  the  town  at  the  festival  season. 
Two  streams,  one  the  headwaters  of  the  Rio  Lempa, 
flowed    across   the    road  beneath   solid  masonry  bridges. 


202  GUATEMALA. 

Into  two  of  the  posts  of  one  of  these  were  inserted  two 
ancient  sculptures,  said  to  have  been  brought  from  Peten, 
but  more  probably  from  the  neighboring  ruins  of  Copan, 
just  beyond  the  mountains.  One  was  the  grotesque  head 
of  a  griffin,  the  other  a  small  human  figure  with  a  pre- 
posterous head-dress.  The  Santuario  is  an  imposing 
structure,  massive  rather  than  elegant,  and  dazzling  in  its 
whiteness.  Towers  rise  at  the  four  corners,  divided  into 
four  stages,  of  which  the  lower  one  is  broken  only  by  a 
small  oval  window  on  the  side  ;  the  second  is  pierced  by 
an  arched  window  and  decorated  with  pilasters ;  the 
third,  still  square,  rises  above  the  general  roof  with  two 
windows  on  each  side  ;  the  fourth,  octagonal  in  shape, 
has  a  single  window  on  the  alternate  sides.  A  large 
dome  rises  in  the  midst,  figures  of  saints  and  a  clock 
mark  the  facade,  and  the  whole  structure  rises  from  an 
extensive  platform  surrounded  by  an  iron  fence  with 
masonry  posts,  and  approached  by  a  broad  and  easy  flight 
of  steps. 

On  entering,  the  first  thing  noticed  was  the  immense 
thickness  of  the  walls,  ten  or  twelve  feet  at  least,  —  a 
reminder  that  this  is  an  earthquake  country.  The  floor 
was  paved  with  large  red  tiles,  needing  repairs  in 
places.  Among  the  pictures  was  one  of  the  Last  Supper, 
and  near  it  a  decidedly  local  one  of  people  lassoing 
Christ.  We  had  hardly  glanced  about,  when  a  curious 
figure  presented  himself,  speaking  tolerable  English  very 
rapidly,  and,  after  the  usual  interchange  of  compliments, 
introduced  himself  as  Dr.  Jose  Fabregos  y  Pares,  a  trav- 
eller ;  and  then  presented  his  companion,  the  handsome 
young  cura,  Padre  Gabriel  Davila,  who  welcomed  us  to 
his  church  and  showed  us  the  curiosities  of  the  place. 


ESQUIPULAS   AND   QUIRIGUA.  203 

First,  of  course,  we  wanted  to  see  the  famous  black 
Christ,  "  Our  Lord  of  Esquipulas."  This  miraculous  im- 
age, to  whose  shrine  devout  pilgrims  have  gathered  even 
from  distant  Mexico  and  Panama,  —  pilgrims  numbered 
in  former  years  as  many  as  fifty  thousand  at  a  single  fes- 
tival,—  was  made  in  Guatemala  City  in  1594  b}^  Quirio 
Catano,  a  Portuguese,  at  the  order  of  Bishop  Cristobal  de 
Morales,  on  the  petition  of  the  pueblo  of  Esquipulas. 
The  sculptor  was  paid  "  cien  tostones,"  —  a  testoon  being 
of  the  value  of  four  reals,  or  half  a  dollar ;  and  to  meet 
this  expense  the  Indios  planted  cotton  on  the  very  land 
where  the  sanctuary  now  stands.  For  more  than  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half  the  image  stood  in  the  village  church, 
where  the  miracles  wrought  spread  its  fame  very  far. 
The  first  archbishop  of  Guatemala,  Pedro  Pardo  de 
Figueroa,  laid  the  foundation  of  the  present  temple, 
which  he  did  not  live  to  finish,  but  died  Feb.  2,  1751, 
praying  with  his  last  breath  that  his  bones  might  rest 
at  the  feet  of  this  image  of  his  Lord.  In  1759  Senor  D. 
Alonso  de  Arcos  y  Moreno,  President  of  the  Real  Audiencia 
of  Guatemala,  completed  the  great  work,  at  a  cost,  it  is  said, 
of  three  million  dollars  ;  and  on  January  6  of  that  year  the 
image  was  translated  with  all  the  pomp  of  the  Romish 
Church.  Twelve  days  later,  the  remains  of  the  pious  arch- 
bishop followed.  The  founder  established  a  brotherhood 
of  worthy  people  who  should  take  upon  themselves  the 
material  support  of  the  edifice  ;  but  Padre  Miguel  Munoz, 
writing  in  1827,  says  that  this  laudable  custom  had  died 
out  among  the  whites,  only  the  Indios  holding  to  the  com- 
pact. Those  of  Totonicapan  furnish  a  certain  amount  of 
wax  and  provide  for  some  offices  of  the  Church  ;  those 
of  Mexico  visit  the  shrine  in  Holy  Week  with  offerings 


204  GUATEMALA. 

of  wax  ;  while  from  Salvador  are  brought  wax,  incense, 
balsam,  oil,  and  brooms. 

Now.  with  all  this  we  expected  to  see  something  re- 
markable, but  saw  only  an  ordinary  altar-piece,  with  plain 
curtains  before  the  miraculous  image.  It  was  not  a  holy- 
service  time,  consequently  the  curtains  could  not  be  raised; 
the  padre,  however,  after  sending  Frank's  revolver  out 
of  the  holy  place,  took  us  behind  the  altar  and  admitted  us 
to  a  small  glass  room  where  the  black  image  stands.  It 
was  much  less  than  life  size,  very  black,  —  painted,  how- 
ever, only  by  time,  —  inferior  in  conception  and  execution, 
and  wearing  long  female  hair.  Ex-voto  pictures  and  gold 
and  silver  images  and  tokens  hung  upon  and  around  this 
figure,  and  in  the  same  chamber  were  figures  of  Joseph 
and  Mary,  together  with  angels  writh  cotton-wool  wings. 
It  was  impossible  for  me  to  feel  any  of  the  awe  with  which 
past  generations  of  Indios  have  regarded  this  black  Christ. 
My  imagination  is  not  wholly  dulled,  and  I  have  felt 
curious  sensations  before  the  horrible  idols  of  the  Pacific 
islanders,  before  the  placid  features  of  a  gigantic  Buddha, 
in  the  Hall  of  Gods  at  Canton,  and  before  the  Jove  of 
the  Vatican.  I  have  been  in  the  holy  places  of  many 
nations,  and  have  felt  a  sympathy  with  the  worship- 
pers ;  even  the  black  cliffs  of  the  supposed  Sinai  have  led 
my  thoughts  captive.  But  here  in  Esquipulas  there  was 
nothing  but  the  husk,  —  nothing  solemn,  nothing  holy ; 
the  portrait  of  Figueroa  was  the  most  respectable  thing 
in  the  church.  It  was,  moreover,  no  strange  thing  to  pass 
into  the  vestry  and  overhaul  the  boxes  of  gold  and  silver 
ex-votos ;  these  we  could  purchase  at  so  much  an  ounce. 
They  were  indeed,  as  our  new  friend  Dr.  Jose  declared, 
"  very  curibus."     All  parts  of  the  human  body,  healthy 


ESQUIPULAS   AND   QUIRIGUA.  205 

or  diseased,  many  animals,  and  other  objects  of  human 
desire  or  solicitude,  were  to  be  found  here.  To  our  matter- 
of-fact  Northerners  it  may  be  necessary  to  explain  the 
theory  and  object  of  these  works  of  native  platerias. 
Medical  men  and  surgeons  are  almost  unknown  in  the 
remote  regions  of  Central  America,  and  a  sick  or  injured 
man,  while  applying  all  known  remedies,  sends  also  to 
the  nearest  platero,  or  silversmith  (common  enough 
among  the  aborigines),  and  has  a  model  of  the  affected 
part  made ;  this  token  some  friend,  if  the  patient  be  un- 
able to  make  the  journey  himself,  carries  to  the  mysterious 
image,  whose  power  to  heal  he  devoutly  believes  in.  It 
is  a  faith,  rather  than  a  mind,  cure.  The  barren  woman 
in  the  northern  climes,  instead  of  being  bowed  down  with 
her  sad  lot.  obtains  an  easy  consolation  in  a  pug  or  lap- 
dog  ;  but  her  Indian  sister  takes  a  truer  view  of  the  pur- 
pose of  her  life,  and  in  her  prayerful  longing  devotes  in 
effigy  the  coveted  offspring,  —  much  as  Hannah,  the  wife 
of  Elkanah,  devoted  the  unbegotten  Samuel  to  the  Lord. 
Like  the  Hebrew  barren  wife,  the  Indian  goes  up  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  most  sacred  shrine,  makes  her  offering, 
and  breathes  her  prayer.  The  Eli  of  the  Sanctuary  bids 
her  "  go  in  peace." 

The  accumulated  offerings  of  gold  and  silver  images 
are  sold  to  pay  the  charges  of  the  Templo,  —  not  always, 
however  ;  for  report  has  it  that  the  Government  some 
years  ago  seized  fifty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  this 
treasure  and  appropriated  it  to  its  own  use. 

Dr.  Jose  invited  us  to  share  his  room,  which  we  gladly 
did.  He  had  just  returned  from  Honduras,  and  was  on 
his  way  to  an  Indian  city  in  Guatemala  where  was  buried, 
to  his  certain  information,  an  immense  treasure  of  the 


20G  GUATEMALA. 

ancient  kings.  I  will  not  tell  my  readers  the  exact 
locality,  though  I  fear  Don  Jose  will  find  no  treasures 
greater  than  the  beautiful  opals  he  brought  from  beyond 
the  Merendon  Mountains.  As  we  left  the  Templo  I 
bought  oranges  of  a  little  girl,  giving  her  the  price  she 
asked,  —  ten  for  a  cuartillo  (three  cents) ;  and  I  almost 
believed  in  the  miracle-working  image  when  the  girl 
brought  me  three  more  oranges !  I  ous;ht  to  have  in- 
sisted  on  having  twenty  for  a  cuartillo.  Very  late  in 
the  afternoon  the  mozos  arrived,  having  been  lost  in  the 
Gerros,  where  we  strangers  had  found  a  plain  path  with- 
out guides.  There  was  not  enough  daylight  left  to  give 
us  a  photograph  of  the  image,  but  we  got  the  white 
Santuario.  Even  at  the  present  day  the  annual  festival, 
extending  from  the  sixth  to  the  ninth  of  January,  brings 
together  many  people,  —  but  perhaps  quite  as  much  for 
trade  as  for  worship. 

As  we  rode  out  of  the  town  in  the  morning  we  passed 
men  repairing  the  aqueduct,  —  which  reminds  me  that 
the  water  in  Esquipulas  is  very  bad.  We  climbed  an 
unbroken  hill  eighteen  hundred  feet  to  an  altitude  of 
forty-six  hundred,  glancing  back  for  a  last  look  at  the 
great  white  temple,  monarch  of  the  plain.  As  we  crossed 
the  divide,  we  had  a  fine  view  of  Quezaltepeque,  with 
Monte  Rico  and  Suchitan  looking  in  the  distance  much 
more  volcanic  than  when  we  passed  them  on  the  road. 
Hard  as  the  ascent  was,  the  descent  was  even  worse  ; 
twenty-one  hundred  feet  of  exceedingly  bad  road  delayed 
us  greatly,  and  it  was  long  after  noon  when  we  arrived  at 
Quezaltepeque.  There  was  not  much  to  see  here.  In 
the  dirty  church  I  noticed  a  picture  of  the  "  Virgen 
de  Lourdes,"  and  a  contribution-box  for  offerings  to  that 


ESQU1PULAS  AND   QUIRIGUA. 


207 


Incense-burner. 


modern  shrine ;  and  Frank  found  a  very  curious  incense- 
burner,  which  certainly  did  not  give  evidence  that  the 
second  command- 
ment had  been 
broken.  As  we 
stayed  only  an 
hour  for  our  al- 
muerzo  and  comida 
combined,  we  did 
not  see  much  be- 
sides the  Plaza  and 
the  main  street ; 
we  followed  the 
latter   out   of   the 

town,  fording  a  stream  of  some  size,  with  gravelly  bed 
and  bordered  with  fruit-trees. 

We  were  now  in  the  picturesque  valley  of  the  Hondo, 
—  a  winding,  clear,  and  generally  rapid  stream  ;  our  path 
sometimes  crossed  it,  and  again  was  high  above  it  on  the 
cliffs.  We  passed  through  San  Jacinto  about  dusk  and 
camped  a  few  miles  beyond,  having  to  go  a  long  way 
after  dark,  as  both  sides  of  the  road  were  fenced, — 
a  most  unusual  thing.  We  at  last  stojoped  at  a  very 
unsuitable  place,  kindled  a  fire  which  guided  Santiago 
to  our  camp,  and  then  decided  to  have  our  mozo  and 
his  family  with  us  for  an  early  start  in  the  morning. 
Frank  took  his  revolver  and  went  back  nearly  two  miles, 
where  he  found  the  Indio  sound  asleep  in  a  house.  Father, 
mother,  and  child  were  quickly  routed  out,  and  when 
they  came  up  we  comforted  them  with  some  hot  coffee. 
Towards  morning  it  rained,  but  not  through  our  blankets  ; 
and  before  the  morning  mist  had  risen  quite  above  the 


208  GUATEMALA. 

hills  around  us,  I  had  my  camera  at  work.  The  daylight 
showed  what  a  queer  bedchamber  we  had  chosen.  Acacia- 
brambles  were  thick  enough,  and  there  was  no  level 
ground ;  while  behind  us  was  a  high  limestone  cliff  closely 
resembling  a  columnar  basaltic  formation,  and  just  across 
the  road  a  precipitous  descent  to  the  river.  We  sent  the 
mozos  on  at  six  o'clock,  and  followed  soon  after.  At 
Santa  Elena  we  saw  many  fan-palms,  cultivated  as  mate- 
rial for  hats.  At  Vaclo  Hondo  we  could  resist  the  temp- 
ting river  no  longer,  but  had  a  delightful  swim  in  the 
clear,  cool  water.  All  the  valley  was  beautiful,  and  gen- 
erally cultivated,  —  here  with  sugar,  there  with  corn, 
and  we  saw  several  small  sugar-mills. 

As  we  approached  the  lower  valley  the  sun  broke 
through  the  clouds  and  was  very  hot ;  but  when  we  came 
to  the  wide  gravel  bed  of  the  sometimes  broad  river  above 
which  Chiquimula  stands,  the  heat  was  most  unbearable. 
On  a  plateau  to  the  right  stood  the  ruins  of  an  immense 
church,  while  far  away  to  the  left  stretched  a  fertile 
valley.  We  rode  up  hill  into  the  town  at  eleven  o'clock, 
and,  as  usual,  found  no  posada.  We  did,  however,  find 
good  food  and  a  very  comfortable  room  at  the  large  mer- 
cantile house  of  Seiiora  Anacleta  Nufio  de  Alonasterio  (this 
was  the  mark  on  her  china).  The  house  was  large,  and 
in  the  patio  were  orange-trees  and  a  fountain  of  good 
water.  The  important  matter  of  lodgings  settled,  we 
went  to  church,  finding  it  out  of  repair  and  dingy.  To 
put  ourselves  in  thorough  moral  order,  I  decided  to  offer 
here  at  this  ecclesiastical  centre  two  tallow  candles,  — 
a  penance  we  wished  to  perform  at  Quezaltepeque,  but 
could  find  no  candles  for  sale  near  at  hand.  I  placed 
the  candles,  lighted,  in  silver  candlesticks,  which  were 


ESQUIPULAS  AND  QUIRIGUA.  209 

empty  on  the  grand  altar,  and  sat  down  on  the  doorstep 
to  see  what  would  happen.  Soon  an  attendant  came  and 
asked  if  I  had  offered  the  candles  ;  and  on  being  assured 
that  I  had,  exclaimed  "  Buen  !  "  in  a  very  satisfied  tone  ; 
nevertheless  he  took  the  poor  candles  from  their  place  of 
honor  and  put  them  before  an  empty  saint-case.  Well, 
the  saints  above  were  perhaps  as  well  satisfied ;  but 
Frank  here  below  was  rather  indignant,  and  declared  he 
would  never  offer  a  candle  again.  But  what  else  could 
we  expect  for  making  light  of  the  candles  ? 

We  called  on  the  Jefe,  Don  Ezequel  Palma,  a  military 
man  past  middle  age,  who  was  very  polite  and  who  sent 
his  private  secretary,  Dr.  Domingo  Estrada,  to  show  us  the 
lions  of  Chiquimula.  We  rode  first  to  the  ruins  of  the 
ancient  town  where  we  had  seen  the  remains  of  the  church 
in  the  morning.  The  same  earthquake  that  in  1773 
destroyed  Antigua  shattered  this  town  and  caused  the 
removal  of  the  inhabitants  some  distance  to  the  west- 
ward. The  old  site  was  a  better  one  ;  but  the  people 
moved  away  to  save  the  trouble  of  clearing  up  the  ruins. 
The  church  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  and 
seventy-five  wide.  The  immense  walls,  ten  feet  thick, 
were  still  standing ;  but  the  vaulted  roof  blocked  the  in- 
terior with  its  fragments.  The  ruins  of  this  once  holy 
place  were  now  used  as  a  cemetery,  the  rank  in  this 
world  of  the  occupier  determining  the  distance  of  each 
grave  from  the  altar-end  ;  while  outside  were  the  neg- 
lected ashes  of  the  commoners.  The  brambles  and  thorny 
plants  made  the  locality  unpleasant  for  living  beings,  and 
we  got  our  horses  away  as  soon  as  possible. 

We  passed  the  new  hospital,  which  Dr.  Estrada  showed 
us  with  pride;    it   will  be,   if  ever  completed,  the  best 

14 


210  GUATEMALA. 

in  Guatemala.  A  visit  to  a  sugar-estate  in  the  valley 
showed  us  fields  of  red  cane,  small,  but  very  sweet. 
There  were  two  small  mills,  both  made  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
—  one  turned  by  wind,  the  other  by  oxen ;  and  the 
product  is  about  nine  hundred  pounds  of  brown  sugar 
a  day. 

At  five  the  next  morning  we  were  serenaded  by  the 
military  band  of  the  town,  —  an  honor  we  had  received 
several  times  before ;  and  the  music  was  very  good. 
We  left  the  ancient  town  of  Chiquimula  at  eight  o'clock, 
although  our  hostess,  Seilora  Anacleta,  wished  us  to  stay 
and  join  an  expedition  of  her  friends  to  Copan  to  exam- 
ine "  las  ruinas,"  —  an  excursion  we  longed  to  make,  but 
could  not  then. 

The  road  to  Zacapa  was  good,  and  we  saw  many 
gigantic  cylindrical  cacti.  These  curious  trees  looked 
pulpy  and  fragile ;  but  Frank  tried  a  branch  with 
his  raw-hide  lasso,  and  the  horse  could  not  pull  it 
off  !  We  shall  never  again  lasso  a  prickly  cactus.  On 
trees  by  the  road  (chiefly  euphorbiaceous  trees)  were 
large  nests,  eighteen  to  twenty  inches  long,  of  some 
mud-wasp.  As  we  approached  Zacapa  we  crossed  the 
Hondo  by  a  ford  where  the  water  was  not  two  feet 
deep  ;  but  the  path  was  very  long  and  winding,  and  the 
current  rapid.  As  usual,  there  was  no  posada  ;  but  a  call 
on  the  Jefe,  Don  Brigido  Castaneda,  resulted  in  a  page 
being  sent  to  conduct  us  to  the  decent  house  of  a  widow, 
where  we  found  lodging  and  comida.  Our  first  search 
was  for  a  blacksmith,  our  animals  needing  re-shoeing. 
There  were  three  herreras  in  the  town ;  but  one  was  sick, 
another  had  no  charcoal,  while  the  third  had  no  nails,  — 
and  there  was  no  lending  among  these  sons  of  Thor.     So 


ESQUIPULAS  AND   QUIRIGUA.  211 

Frank  had  to  do  the  work  himself  with  hammer  and  axe ; 
and  his  general  handiness  again  stood  us  in  stead.  There 
was  little  enough  to  attract  us  in  this  town,  and  early 
the  next  morning  (Sunday)  we  sent  the  mozos  ahead  and 
followed  before  the  weekly  drill  of  the  militia  was  fin- 
ished. In  Zacapa  the  Government  has  a  large  tobacco- 
factory  ;  and  the  "  Zacapa  puros "  are  much  liked  by 
smokers. 

All  the  way  out  of  town  the  fields  were  dry,  although 
we  passed  several  small  streams,  and  beyond  San  Pablo  a 
grove  of  fan-palms  watered  by  a  fine  brook.  No  fruit 
was  anywhere  to  be  seen,  not  even  on  the  great  cacti. 
The  Motagua  River  we  had  looked  for  at  every  turn,  and 
at  last  we  came  upon  a  stream  so  rapid  that  it  does  not 
even  water  its  dry  banks.  A  swim  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, but  our  bath  was  very  refreshing. 

At  Zacapa  we  left  the  volcanic  region ;  and  afterwards 
we  saw  no  more  lava  or  tufa,  but  a  formation  resembling 
old  red  sandstone,  mica  schist,  slates,  milk-quartz,  and 
some  serpentine.  We  were  then  in  the  metamorphic 
mountain-belt.  The  shapes  of  the  hills  of  course  changed 
with  their  geological  nature,  and  we  missed  the  beautiful 
cones  that  had  formed  a  characteristic  of  our  daily  land- 
scape since  we  had  our  first  glimpse  of  Tajumulco  from 
the  Chixoy  valley  many  weeks  before. 

On  this  road  we  saw  the  Palo  Cortez,  —  one  of  the 
most  splendid  flowering-trees  I  ever  saw.  It  was  large, 
leafless,  and  covered  with  dark-pink  flowers.  Never  in 
large  numbers,  it  brightened  the  dark  forests  with  its 
mass  of  rich  color,  and  as  many  as  five  or  six  would  be 
in  sight  at  once.  Surely  we  could  have  made  a  cal- 
endar marked  by  some  remarkable  plant  each  day  ;  and 


212  GUATEMALA. 

this  Sunday  was  a  red-letter  day,  marked  by  this  tree 
named  in  honor  of  the  great  Conquistador.  A  fine  arbo- 
rescent composite,  with  dark-orange  blossoms  of  the  size 
and  shape  of  thistles,  closely  recalled  the  Hesperomannia 
that  my  clear  friend  Horace  Mann  (the  younger)  discov- 
ered during  our  explorations  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
twenty  years  before. 

In  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  rancho  of  Don  Caye- 
tano,  where  we  saw  good  cattle,  but  did  not  stop  until 
some  distance  beyond,  when  we  boiled  our  coffee  by  the 
roadside  and  I  photographed  our  travelling  arrangements. 
Although  we  arrived  at  Gualan  at  half-past  five,  we  had 
more  than  the  usual  trouble  in  finding  a  lodging ;  but  at 
last  a  deaf  old  man,  who  was  also  burdened  with  a  large 
goitre,  took  us  into  his  comfortable  house  of  two  rooms, 
while  Santiago,  who  professed  to  be  familiar  with  the 
place,  took  our  animals  in  charge.  The  town  was  insig- 
nificant and  decayed,  although  on  the  main  road  from 
Guatemala  City  to  the  coast.  After  a  supper  of  the 
toughest  meat  we  had  found  in  this  republic,  our  host 
gave  us  his  daughter's  room ;  and  while  Frank  attempted 
to  make  the  little  bed  comfortable,  I  slung  my  hammock 
from  the  dusty  rafters.  The  daughter,  about  sixteen,  was 
rather  pretty,  and  we  were  sorry  to  incommode  her ;  but 
she  turned  in  with  the  old  man,  and  we  could  hear  that 
they  were  both  asleep  long  before  we  got  used  to  the 
squeaking  noise  of  a  lizard  in  the  thatch  and  to  the 
showers  of  dust  every  motion  of  my  hammock  shook 
down  from  above. 

We  were  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Motagua, 
and  decided  to  send  our  mozos  on  to  Los  Amates  by  land, 
while  we  took  a  canoa.     Santiago  had  promised  us  one  in 


ESQUIPULAS   AND   QUIRIGUA.  213 

the  morning,  but  could  not  find  it ;  whereupon  Frank 
found  a  boatman,  and  reduced  his  price  from  $4.00  to 
$2.50.  Just  as  we  were  returning  to  the  house  to  get  our 
luggage,  we  met  our  useless  Santiago  with  a  man  who 
had  kindly  consented,  as  an  especial  favor  to  him,  to 
take  us  for  $6.00.  In  going  to  the  river  we  passed  the 
Calvario,  which  was  elaborately  walled ;  but  the  roots  of 
many  shrubs  were  prying  the  masonry  open.  A  descent 
of  about  two  hundred  feet  brought  us  to  the  river  bank, 
and  we  found  the  water  cool  and  good. 

Our  canoa  was  a  good  "  dugout,"  with  a  mat  of  split 
bambu  for  our  seat,  and  our  boatman  managed  it  very 
skilfully,  avoiding  the  frequent  shoals  and  taking  full 
advantage  of  the  current.  Bathers  and  washerwomen 
were  common  along  the  banks,  —  the  latter  with  precious 
little  clothing,  but  usually  working  under  a  palm-leaf 
shelter.  Often  they  did  not  hear  the  paddle,  so  noisy 
were  their  tongues,  until  we  were  close  upon  them ;  and 
they  generally  ducked  when  they  saw  us.  White  herons, 
alligators,  and  iguanas  were  common  enough,  and  we 
saw  two  very  round  turtles  about  a  foot  in  diameter. 
Twice  we  touched  bottom  in  the  rapids ;  but  the  skill  of 
the  paddler  kept  us  bows  on  and  saved  us  a  wetting. 

At  Barbasco  the  river  was  wide,  and  we  saw  three 
mules  crossing,  as  our  bestias  would  have  to  do  later  in  the 
day.  They  waded  two  thirds  of  the  distance  and  swam 
the  rest,  one  being  carried  by  the  current  into  the  bushes 
down  stream.1  The  exhilarating  motion  was  in  marked 
contrast  to  our  struggle  up  the  Rio  Polochic ;  but  there 
was  no  such  interest  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Motagua 

1  Another  time  when  Frank  was  crossing  he  had  to  swim  for  his  life,  and 
nearly  lost  his  animals. 


214  GUATEMALA. 

as  in  that  of  the  Polochic,  and  not  until  we  approached 
Los  Amates  did  we  come  to  the  forest.  In  many  places 
banana  or  plantain  suckers  had  got  entangled  in  the 
bushes  overhanging  the  banks  or  on  shoals,  and  were 
rooting  and  growing.  The  river  is  about  a  hundred 
yards  wide  at  Los  Amates,  where  we  landed  after  a  canoa 
voyage  of  five  hours  and  a  half.  The  steep  bank  was 
muddy,  and  the  whole  town  likewise,  as  far  as  we  could 
see.  Four  open-walled  reed  huts  shelter  all  the  inhabi- 
tants, both  man  and  beast.  The  view  riverwards  was 
attractive,  as  the  river  seemed  the  only  way  out  of  this 
forest-environed  spot.  We  walked  into  the  woods  on  the 
trail  northward  to  El  Mico,  about  three  quarters  of  a 
league ;  here  the  ground  was  utterly  water-soaked,  and 
Ave  saw  nothing  interesting  except  two  humming-birds 
having  a  bitter  duel.  They  were  so  absorbed  in  their 
deadly  hatred  that  we  stood  some  minutes  within  arm's 
length  without  interrupting  them.  Near  the  houses  the 
manaca-palms  overspread  the  path  in  most  perfect  Gothic 
arches,  forming  groined  vaults  of  living  green.  Our 
comida  was  tolerable ;  but  flies  and  mosquitoes  were 
abundant,  so  were  clogs  and  pigs,  and  there  were 
many  chickens  with  their  wings  turned  inside  out  and 
their  feathers  put  on  the  wrong  way.  We  could  throw 
stones  at  the  dos:s  without  attracting  notice ;  but  I 
found  the  people  evidently  did  not  like  to  have  the 
pigs   insulted. 

Our  senora  was  a  curious  specimen,  all  skin  and  bones, 
clad  in  a  scant  dress,  a  large  straw  hat,  and  apparently 
nothing  else,  and  smoking  an  ever-burnincr  cio;ar.  At 
night  she  put  us  on  a  shelf  of  slim  bambus  that  would 
not  bear  our  weight  standing,  though  they  made  a  fairly 


ESQUIPULAS  AND   QUIRIGUA.  215 

comfortable  bed.  We  shared  this  loft  with  corn  and 
poultry ;  and  looking  down  into  the  common  room  be- 
neath us,  we  saw  by  the  light  of  a  bowl  of  oil  strange 
domestic  scenes.  Women  were  swinging  in  hammocks 
and  smoking  cigars,  and  children  lying  naked  on  the  bare 
earth  floor ;  and  it  was  pleasant  to  see  such  at-one-ness 
and  the  utter  absence  of  anything  like  bashfulness. 

Our  calendar  alone  informed  us  that  the  next  day  was 
Christmas,  and  we  spent  it  in  waiting  for  our  mozos  and 
bestias,  who  arrived  about  three  o'clock.  We  sat  on  the 
sheet-iron  pipes,  fifteen  inches  in  diameter,  which  were 
resting  here  on  their  way  to  the  Friedmann  mines,  farther 
south.  They  kept  us  out  of  the  mud,  and  were  the  only 
comfortable  seats  in  the  town.  On  the  mango  and  orange 
trees  we  found  a  pretty  little  yellow  orchid  (Oncidium ?). 
In  the  houses  we  saw  tanning  done,  without  a  vat,  by 
making  a  bag  of  the  hide  and  filling  it  with  the  bark 
decoction,  which  slowly  percolated  through  and  was  re- 
placed. The  remains  of  an  English  steam-launch  were 
scattered  about,  sheets  of  copper  from  her  bottom  serv- 
ing as  clapboards  to  part  of  the  house  where  we  lodged. 
At  night  the  men  of  the  place  were  all  drunk  and  very 
noisy.  The  fires  were  kept  burning  late,  and  cast  weird 
gleams  through  the  open  slat  walls  into  the  darkness. 

Having  engaged  a  guide  for  the  so-called  Ruinas  at 
Quirigua,  at  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  said  our 
adios  (after  paying  our  hostess  nineteen  reals  for  our- 
selves and  mozos)  and  started  down  the  river  bank. 
Across  the  river  were  the  largest  bambus  we  had  seen  in 
the  country,  some  joints  at  least  six  inches  in  diameter. 
Our  path  led  through  a  canebrake,  and  often  so  close  on 
the  loose  banks  of  the  Motagua  that  I  feared  we  should 


216  GUATEMALA. 

drop  in.  For  two  hours  we  went  on  in  this  way,  stopping 
only  to  rifle  a  turtle's  nest  of  fourteen  small  eggs  (less  in 
size  than  a  pullet's).  We  then  turned  to  the  left  and 
came  to  the  Quirigua  river,  —  which  more  resembled  a 
creek  ;  and  here  my  heart  sank,  for  I  have  a  great  dread 
of  black  waters  and  muddy  bottoms.  Santiago  waded  in 
first,  and  I  followed  close  on  the  little  mule ;  and  we  all 
crossed  safely,  our  mozo  leading  his  wife  by  the  hand 
with  great  care.  Once  in  the  thick  forest,  our  guide  did 
his  best  to  empty  a  generous  bottle  of  aguardiente  he 
had  brought  with  him  ;  so  that  within  an  hour  he  knew 
very  little  about  the  road,  or  anything  else  useful.  Cohune 
and  similar  palms  were  on  all  sides,  and  we  first  saw 
here  the  pacay  a  (Euterpe  edulis?),  —  a  slender  palm  with 
edible  pods  or  buds.  Enormous  trees  with  buttresses  — 
even  the  goyava  took  this  form  here  —  were  prominent 
among  the  lower  palms,  and  ginger  and  wild  bananas 
bordered  the  rather  indefinite  path,  which  we  had  con- 
stantly to  clear  of  vejucos  and  fallen  palm-leaves.  Many 
round  holes,  as  large  as  a  flour-barrel,  showed  where 
palm-stumps  had  been  eaten  out  by  insects. 

A  little  brook  with  chalybeate  waters  cost  us  both  a 
^vetting ;  for  Frank's  mare  stuck  in  a  mud-hole,  and  my 
mule  slid  down  a  steep  bank  backwards  into  the  water, 
soaking  my  saddlebags.  After  travelling  three  hours  on 
this  muddy  road,  we  came  to  a  clearing,  where  were  two 
large  champas  fast  going  to  ruin.  Mr.  A.  P.  Maudslay, 
an  Englishman  who  has  spent  much  labor  and  money  in 
exploring  Guatemaltecan  antiquities,  had  been  here  twice, 
and  not  only  cleared  a  considerable  space  around  the 
principal  monuments,  but  had  cleaned  the  stones,  and 
even  made  moulds  in  plaster  of  some  of  them ;  he  had 


ESQUIPULAS   AND   QUIRIGUA. 


217 


also  built  the  champas  that  sheltered  us.  We  spread 
our  wet  things  over  a  fire,  and  went  to  the  first  monu- 
ment (A  on  the  plan),  which  was  close  at  hand.  Mr. 
Catherwood's  sketches,  published  in  Stephens's  most  in- 
teresting Travels,  led  us 
to  expect  rough  menhirs 
quite  analogous  to  the 
Standing  Stones  of  Sten- 
nis,  or  those  better 
known  of  Stonehenge. 
Here,  rising  from  a  pool 
of  water  collected  in  the 
excavation  Mr.  Mauds- 
lay  had  made  to  exam- 
ine the  foundation,  was 
a  monolith  of  light-col- 
ored, coarse-grained 
sandstone,  well  carved 
over  its  entire  surface 
except  top  and  bottom. 
On  the  front  and  back 
were  full-length  human 
figures,  not  deities,  but 
attempted  likenesses, 
joined  with   the   tigre's  Remains  at  Quirigua 

head  to  indicate  chief- 
tainship, and  a  skull  to  represent  death.  Both  sides 
were  covered  with  hieroglyphic  inscriptions  quite  dis- 
tinct, but  not  intelligible  to  any  living  being.  (See 
Frontispiece.)  What  would  I  have  given  to  be  per- 
mitted to  read  the  stone-cut  story !  No  locked  chamber 
ever  inspired  half  the  curiosity.     When  was  this  stone 


218  GUATEMALA. 

set  up,  by  whom,  and  to  what  purpose  ?  Whose  are  the 
portraits,  when  did  these  persons  live,  and  what  did  they 
do  for  their  fellows.  The  mocking  answer  to  all  these 
questions  is  cut  in  the  stone  before  us.  The  native  name 
of  idolos  is  an  idle  one,  unless  used  in  the  Greek  sense ; 
for  these  are  no  gods,  but  memorials  of  the  dead  as 
distinctly  as  the  tombstones  in  our  modern  graveyards. 
While  the  hieroglyphs  are  similar  to  those  at  Copan 
and  Palenque,  they  are  not,  I  think,  identical,  and  I  fancy 
they  are  of  the  nature  of  the  denominative  cartouches 
of  the  Egyptian  obelisks.  I  copy  Mr.  Maudslay's  plan 
of  this  group  of  monuments,  from  which  it  will  at  once 
be  seen  that  their  relative  position  to  the  other  remains 
is  puzzling  in  the  extreme.  We  left  our  imaginings 
for  the  time,  and  proceeded  to  the  practical  work  of 
photography.  This  was  no  light  task  ;  for  the  sun  was 
behind  trees  which  cast  shadows  on  the  monuments, 
while  the  shady  side  was  almost  invisible  in  the  camera. 
Insects  swarmed  in  front  of  the  lens,  and  the  heat  was 
almost  insupportable  under  the  rubber  focusing-cloth. 
However,  I  succeeded  fairly  in  carrying  away  a  dozen  pic- 
tures. Whether  I  can  with  no  greater  difficulty  explain  to 
my  readers  what  this  cemetery  looked  like,  even  with  the 
aid  of  Mr.  Maudslay's  rough  plan,  is  more  questionable. 

We  entered  a  clearing,  some  four  hundred  feet  square, 
made  only  the  year  before,  but  already  covered  with 
undergrowth,  so  that  our  men  had  to  use  their  machetes 
freely  to  expose  the  stones.  The  level  was  low  and  the 
soil  full  of  water,  which  stood  in  pools  here  and  there. 
On  our  left  was  a  mound,  more  than  two  hundred  feet 
long,  which  we  did  not  inspect,  and  in  front  of  this  were 
placed  three  monoliths.     The  first  (A)  was  the  smallest ; 


MONOLITH    AT   QUIRIGUA,  E. 


ESQUIPULAS  AND   QUIRIGUA. 


219 


the  second  (B)  was  four  feet  wide,  three  feet  deep,  and 
perhaps  sixteen  feet  high;  the  third  (C)  was  four  feet 
nine  inches  wide,  two  feet  nine  inches  deep,  and  eighteen 
feet  high.  Both  B  and  C  stood  on  irregular  ends,  and  the 
tops  of  all  were  left  much  as  they  came  from  the  quarry. 
Two  taller  ones  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  clearing. 


Monolith  at   Quirigua,    F. 

One  (F)  was  inclined  (as  it  was  to  a  much  less  extent 
when  Mr.  Catherwood  made  his  drawing,  forty  years  ago), 
and  the  under  side  has  been  protected  from  the  weather, 
so  that  the  face  is  well  preserved,  the  large  nose  being 
intact.  This  face,  unlike  the  one  on  the  opposite  side,  is 
below   the  general  level  of   the  sculptures,  suggesting  a 


220  GUATEMALA. 

substitution  of  the  present  portrait  for  the  original  one. 
The  inclination  is  about  thirty-six  degrees  from  the  ver- 
tical ;  and  as  the  stone  is  about  twenty-five  feet  above 
ground,  it  must  be  wedged  with  large  foundation-stones, 
or  be  buried  deep  in  the  soft  earth. 

Of  all  the  portraits  cut  upon  these  stones,  this  leaning 
monolith  has  the  most  remarkable.  The  hands  and  feet 
are  represented  in  the  same  conventional  manner  as  on 
the  stone  marked  E  ;  but  the  immense  size  of  the  nose,  as 
well  as  of  the  ears,  distinguishes  it  from  all  others.  The 
cast  of  countenance  is  very  Egyptian.  On  many  of  these 
sculptures  are  seen  indications  of  the  worship  of  the  cross 
(as  in  the  figure  on  the  reverse  of  E),  although  this  sym- 
bol is  usually  of  complicated  form,  as  on  the  celebrated 
tablet  at  Palenque.  The  monolith  B  has  on  the  breast,  in 
place  of  the  cross,  the  double  triangle,  sometimes  called 
Solomon's  Seal,  and,  like  the  cross,  a  well-known  symbol 
of  primitive  worship.  The  nose  of  the  figure  on  what  is 
now  the  upper  side  of  F,  is  broken,  but  was  of  large  size 
originally. 

There  were  several  curious  features  in  the  decorative 
or  symbolic  work  on  the  monument  marked  E  on  the 
plan.  The  plumes  above  the  head  are  very  extensive, 
and  there  are  two  distinct  heads  of  the  tigre,  superim- 
posed with  two  well-modelled  hands  extending  from  the 
union.  The  face  is  much  injured.  The  ears  are  enor- 
mous, and  beneath  the  chin  is  a  projection  reminding  one 
of  the  "  beard-case  "  of  the  ancient  Egyptians.  One  arm, 
with  ruffled  sleeve,  holds  an  instrument  much  like  a 
"  jumping-jack,"  or  else  a  human  body  impaled,  while  the 
other  is  concealed  beneath  a  richly  ornamented  target. 
The  feet  are  turned  out,  and  on  them  rest  what  closely 


ESQUIPULAS   AND   QUIRIGUA. 


221 


resemble  felt  hats  with  plumes,  while  the  pedestal  (part 
of  the  one  stone)  on  which  the  figure  stands,  bears  the 
death's-head  surmounted  by  a  small  head  with  the  re- 
markable ears  of  the  chief  figure.  On  the  reverse  the 
features  of  the  figure  are 
better  preserved.  A  dia- 
dem is  distinct  under  a 
large  and  very  realistic 
jaguar-head,  the  ears  are 
covered  by  strap-like  or- 
naments, the  sandals 
elaborately  wrought,  and 
the  hat-like  ornaments 
much  more  distinct  than 
on  the  other  side.  The 
costume  is  more  elabo- 
rate, although  not  cut 
in  so  high  relief. 

Two  large  bowlder- 
like masses  (D  and  G) 
of  the  same  stone  are 
placed  un symmetrically 
in  relation  to  the  other 
monoliths,  and  rest  on  separate  cross-stones.  They  are 
carved  all  over  with  figures  and  inscriptions,  G  being 
fashioned  at  one  end  into  the  head  and  claws  of  some  mon- 
ster. A  decidedly  Aryan  head,  with  mustache  and  flow- 
ing beard,  is  carved  in  high   relief  on  the  other.1    If  these 

1  Although  on  the  stone,  and  in  the  photograph  as  well,  this  head  has  the 
appearance  noted  in  the  text,  a  more  careful  examination  of  the  photographic 
image  magnified  shows  that  the  upper  portion  of  the  seemingly  human  face  is 
in  truth  that  of  a  tigre,  while  the  flowing  beard  is  the  remaining  part  of  a 
mutilated   human   face. 


gtfca***' 


Monolith    E  (back). 


222  GUATEMALA. 

were  altars,  they  must  have  been  very  inconvenient  ones, 
as  they  are  about  five  feet  high,  and  very  little  of  the 
upper  surface  is  level.  We  did  not  visit  the  other  por- 
tions of  the  cemetery  as  shown  on  the  plan,  because  we 
did  not  at  the  time  know  of  their  existence,  our  guide 
beinjr  still  under  the  malign  influence  of  the  bottle. 

We  boiled  our  turtle's  eggs  (these,  by  the  way,  no  boil- 
ing ever  hardens),  drank  coffee  and  limonade,  and  ate 
sardines  among  these  Maya  relics,  and  then  departed, 
after  an  interesting  visit  of  only  three  hours.  The  heat 
and  the  swarms  of  insects  by  day  gave  us  no  encourage- 
ment to  pass  the  night  there,  though  we  could  not  leave 
without  a  hope  that  we  might  return,  and  perhaps  dig 
about  the  stones.  Although  visitors  do  not  often  get  to 
these  monuments,  some  have  left  the  proofs  of  their  low 
sense  of  propriety  in  inscriptions  scratched  on  the  stone. 
Truly  the  Indios  who  wander  through  this  cemetery 
and  call  the  figures  idolos  are  more  civilized  than  those 
fellows  who  have  desecrated  the  stones  by  their  otherwise 
unimportant  names. 

Our  way  out  was  a  return  for  two  miles,  and  then 
branched  into  another  path,  where  the  marks  of  the 
railway  surveyors  were  plainly  visible,  and  it  seems  that 
the  Ferro-carril  del  Norte  will  come  close  to  the  Ruinas 
of  Quirigua.  As  we  left  the  lowlands  we  came  upon 
ledges  of  sandstone  perhaps  a  mile  from  the  Ruinas,  of 
the  same  kind  used  for  the  monoliths ;  but  we  could  not 
find,  perhaps  owing  to  the  dense  vegetation,  any  signs  of 
quarry  work.  In  the  path  we  saw  fragments  of  pottery 
apparently  ancient ;  and  there  are  no  modern  habitations 
near  at  hand.  As  the  path  wound  up  the  hill  we  crossed 
a  sandstone  ridge  and  had  fine  views  over  the  valley  of 


ESQUIPULAS  AND   QUIRIGUA.  223 

the  Motagua.  It  was  pleasant  to  get  among  the  pines 
again,  and  on  solid  dry  ground :  I  think  I  dread  mud 
more  than  any  other  impediment  in  the  road.  When  we 
struck  the  "  camino  real "  late  in  the  afternoon,  Santiago 
went  to  the  little  village  of  Quirigua  to  get  the  traps  he 
had  left  there,  while  Frank  and  I  went  on  to  the  hacienda 
of  Senor  Rascon,  late  Jefe  of  Izabal,  whom  we  had  met  in 
the  office  of  Secretario  Sanchez  in  the  City  of  Guatemala. 
This  hacienda  was  a  mud-house  with  poor  accommoda- 
tions and  little  food ;  but  as  it  cost  us  only  two  reals,  we 
had  no  reason  to  grumble.  The  old  senora  in  charge  had 
only  one  egg ;  but  overcome  by  Frank's  plaintive  appeal, 
she  scrambled  under  the  bed  where  the  hens  were  roost- 
ing, and  managed  to  coax  another  from  one  of  them. 
We  were  here  entertained  by  the  process  of  branding 
cattle,  —  not  an  attractive  exhibition  of  brute  force  and 
brute  suffering. 

We  were  in  the  saddle  at  seven,  expecting  a  hard 
day's  journey.  The  road  was  bad  enough,  muddy  even 
when  steep.  In  places  it  was  paved  ;  but  this  was  worse 
still.  The  flowers  were  interesting,  and  the  splendid 
butterflies  were  flitting  all  the  way.  A  fine  passion- 
flower which  Frank  gathered  for  me,  and  a  cypress-vine 
(Ijwmcea),  were  among  the  old  friends  in  a  new  place. 
Several  trains  of  pack-mules  on  their  way  to  Guatemala 
City  passed  us,  and  we  had  to  use  care  to  avoid  being 
bruised  by  their  loads,  which  they  did  not  hesitate  to 
push  into  us  if  not  driven  aside.  As  Mabel  had  cast  a 
shoe,  Frank  walked  almost  all  the  way,  using  the  mare 
occasionally  as  a  bridge  when  the  stream  to  be  forded  was 
wide.  As  we  came  out  on  the  northern  slope  of  El  Mico 
we  had  an  attractive  view  of  the  Lago  de  Izabal,  and  later 


224  GUATEMALA. 

of  the  town  itself,  where  we  arrived  early  in  the  afternoon, 
finding  quarters  hi  the  posada  of  Senora  Juana,  an  ancient 
mulattress.  Her  house,  at  the  extreme  east  end  of  the 
town,  was  large  and  ruinous  ;  but  we  had  a  comfortable 
and  cool  room  and  a  very  decent  comida.  In  the  garden 
the  seiiora  had  roses,  gardenias,  caladiums,  hibiscus,  and 
the  Mexican  vine  {Antigonon  lejrtojms).  The  town,  with 
its  white  houses,  low  level,  and  ditched  streets,  reminded 
us  of  Belize ;  but  while  the  capital  of  British  Honduras  is 
alive,  Izabal  is  dead.  On  the  hill  westward  was  a  fort, 
with  lighthouse  and  town-bell.  At  5  and  6  a.m.,  and 
at  6,  8,  and  9  p.m.,  the  fort  made  a  noise.  The  wharf 
at  the  custom-house  was  long,  but  had  only  two  feet 
of  water,  so  shallow  is  the  lake  at  this  side.  The  shore 
was  sandy,  and  the  water  clear.  The  principal  streets 
are  lighted  by  gaz  (kerosene) ;  and  as  the  ditches  on 
either  side  are  worse  than  the  gutters  in  New  Orleans, 
this  is  a  necessary  precaution. 

In  the  photograph  of  Izabal,  taken  from  the  end  of  the 
dilapidated  wharf,  the  fort  is  seen  on  the  hill  above  the 
large  warehouse  ;  at  the  right  is  the  cluster  of  buildings 
belonging  to  Mr.  Potts,  —  a  gentleman  who  has  a  fine 
collection  of  native  orchids  in  his  garden,  the  only  one 
in  all  the  republic  who  seemed  to  take  much  interest 
in  horticulture.  The  church  is  just  behind  this  dwelling, 
and  on  the  hill  at  the  extreme  right  of  the  view  is  the 
Campo  Santo.  In  the  foreground  the  corroded  piles 
show  well  the  action  of  wood-destroying  animals  in  the 
tropical  fresh  waters. 

We  saw  also  in  Izabal  a  very  interesting  collection  of 
antiquities  from  the  mines  of  Las  Quebradas,  on  the 
Motagua.     There  were  clay  heads  of  curious  workman- 


ESQUIPULAS   AND   QUIRIGUA. 


225 


ship,  obsidian  and  flint  knives,  arrow  and  spear  heads  ; 
but  what  attracted  me  most  were  three  small  whistles  of 
terra-cotta.  They  represented  human  figures  in  a  squat- 
ting position,  all  with  maxtlis,  or  waist-cloths,  about  the 
loins,  and  a  coif,  or  turban,  on  the  heads.  One  little  fat 
fellow  reminded  me  of  the  Chinese  roly-poly  mandarins, 
and  was  of  light-colored  clay.  Another,  who  also  had  a 
paunch  of  generous  proportions,  presented  the  profile  of 
an  Egyptian  sphinx.     But  the  third,  which  was  four  and 


Izabal. 


a  quarter  inches  high  and  of  a  dark  bronze  color,  bore 
a  close  resemblance  to  a  North  American  Indian.  The 
figure  had  earrings  precisely  like  those  copper  ones  that 
Professor  Putnam  discovered  in  the  Ohio  mounds.  This 
whistle  could  be  made  to  sound  three  notes,  the  mouth- 
piece being  at  the  posterior  base.  I  tried  to  buy  these 
interesting  relics,  which  were  found  buried  at  a  consider- 
able depth,  but  the  owner  would  not  part  with  them ; 
and  as  the  whole  collection  is  kept  in  a  basket  and  often 

15 


220  GUATEMALA. 

handled;  I  suppose  the  photographs  I  took  will  soon  be 
all  that  is  left  of  them.  Clay  whistles  modelled  in 
grotesque  form,  which  also  sound  three  notes,  may  be 
found  to-day  in  the  plazas  for  sale ;  but  the  material  and 
workmanship  of  these  ancient  terra-cottas  surpasses  any 
of   the  work  of  modern  Indios. 

During  the  night  we  were  awakened  by  the  noise  of 
the  surf  on  the  beach  ;  but  when  I  went  out  on  the 
piazza  there  was  no  wind.  Before  morning  the  "  City  of 
Belize"  —  the  very  steamer  that  had  nearly  finished  our 
journey  in  the  Rio  Polochic  —  arrived  from  Pansos.  At 
daybreak  I  found  that  the  bats  had  ruined  my  raw-hide 
lasso,  the  reins  of  my  bridle,  and  had  eaten  the  seeds  of 
some  toranjas,  or  shaddocks,  which  we  had  carefully 
saved  for  planting.  We  hung  all  these  articles  from  the 
ceiling  to  avoid  rats  or  cockroaches. 

Frank  and  Santiago  had  no  end  of  difficulty  in  getting 
our  animals  on  board  the  steamer ;  but  it  was  done  at 
last,  as  everything  else  that  Frank  attempted,  and  just 
before  noon  we  started,  after  an  excellent  breakfast  on 
board,  in  which  Seilor  Gomez,  the  newly  appointed  Jefe 
politico,  joined  us.  We  were  now  back  to  the  land  of 
rains ;  and  as  we  steamed  across  the  lake  to  Santa  Cruz 
we  had  a  tropical  downpour.  As  the  steamer  was  out  of 
fuel,  we  coasted  the  lake  to  a  place  about  a  league  above 
Castillo  de  San  Felipe,  where,  after  getting  some  three 
cords  of  wood  on  board,  we  tied  to  the  trees  for  the 
night.  At  daybreak  we  took  on  more  wood,  and  then 
went  on  to  the  old  fort,  where  the  comanclante  had  some 
wood  to  sell,  and  used  his  authority  to  press  the  soldiers 
and  bystanders  to  load  it.  As  it  was  Sunday  there  were 
plenty  of  loafers  around  ;  but  one  dandy  who  had  on  a 


ESQUIPULAS   AND   QUIRIGUA.  227 

clean  shirt  would  not  work,  and  another  fellow  had  a 
stomach-ache  and  could  not ;  but  the  military  authority 
was  respected,  and  the  wood  soon  loaded.  The  pilot- 
house was  a  fine,  roomy  place  on  the  upper  deck,  and  our 
comfort  was  in  marked  contrast  to  the  experience  of  the 
canoa-voyage  up,  some  months  before.  Islands  and  la- 
goons succeeded  each  other  rapidly,  and  we  soon  crossed 
the  Golfete  and  were  in  the  beautiful  Eio  Dulce.  At 
three  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  the  wharf  in  Living- 
ston, and  our  pleasant  journey  was  at  an  end. 


Whistle  from    Las   Quebradas. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


IN    THE    OLDEN    TIME. 


THE  physical  features  of  Central  America  are  rich  and 
varied ;  but  the  story  of  the  races  which  have  peo- 
pled it  is  tinged  with  a  romance  and  clouded  with  a 
mystery  which  accord  intimately  with  the  cloud-capped 
summits,  the  impenetrable  forests,  and  the  earth-fires. 
Stories  written  in  stone,  whose  authors  no  man  knows, 
whose  meaning  none  can  read,  carry  us  back  beyond  his- 
tory and  beyond  legend ;  and  until  patient  study  unravels 
the  enigma,  as  it  must  in  time,  our  vision  of  the  aborigi- 
nes is  illumined  only  by  those  legends  which  beautify 
and  corrupt  all  history.  We  may  treat  all  legendary  lore 
as  mythic  if  we  are  willing  to  forget  that  a  myth  is  the 
creation  of  an  advanced  thought  and  civilization  which 
we  do  not  usually  concede  to  the  long-perished  races  who 
have  preceded  us ;  or  we  may  simply  accept  what  has 
been  preserved  for  us,  smile  at  its  simplicity,  wonder  at 
its  beauty,  or  puzzle  our  brains  to  connect  and  classify  it 
with  similar  matter  from  other  sources  and  of  other 
times.  In  an  uncontroversial  spirit  I  would  accept  the 
slight  glimpses  of  early  human  races  which  have  lived 
upon  this  continent,  and  leave  to  others  the  task,  agree- 
able to  their  tastes,  of  weighing,  measuring,  and  analy- 
zing these  stories  of  a  simple  people  who  can  no  longer 
speak  for  themselves. 


IN   THE   OLDEN  TIME.  229 

In  most  ancient  times  Votan  *  came  to  the  coast  now 
known  as  Tabasco,  found  savages  inhabiting  the  country, 
whom  by  patient  labor  he  civilized,  thus  founding  the  Em- 
pire of  Xibalbay2  and  the  dynasty  of  the  Votanides.  He 
or  his  immediate  descendants  built  Nachan  or  Culhuacan, 
whose  ruins  at  Palenque  in  Yucatan  have  astonished  all 
travellers  and  students  since  their  discovery.3  Similar 
ruins,  inscribed  with  the  same  hieroglyphic  characters,  are 
found  at  Copan  in  Honduras,  Quirigua.  Tikal,  and  other 
places ;  and  the  arts  of  architecture  and  sculpture  show  in 
these  remains  a  development  not  attained  by  any  succeed- 
ing inhabitants  of  this  continent  until  the  present  century. 
While  Xibalbay  was  still  extending  its  empire  over  por- 
tions of  Mexico  and  Central  America,  another  leader 
brought  with  him  from  the  North  a  people  called  Nahoas, 
who  founded  a  city  not  far  from  Palenque,  towards  the 
southwest,  naming  it  Tula  (whence  this  people  are  often 
called  Tultecas).  The  chief  bore  a  symbolic  name,  as  is 
even  now  usual  with  the  Indian  tribes  of  North  America, 
and  Quetzalcoatl  (serpent  with  the  plumes  of  the  quetzal), 
or  Gucumatz,  —  as  he  is  known  in  the  Guatemaltecan 
legends,  —  by  his  superior  ability  (called  magic  by  the 
people),  brought  his  power  to  such  a  height  as  wholly 
to  overshadow  the  flourishing  Xibalbay,  whose  conquered 
inhabitants  were  scattered  in  various  directions.  Some 
went  northward  to  Mexico  and  founded  a  monarchy 
(according  to  Clavigero,  in  the  seventh  century  of  our 
era),  which  after  four  hundred  years  of  prosperity  was 
destroyed   by  famine ;    and   the  survivors,   led    by  their 

1  Le  mithe  de  Votan.     H.  de  Charencey,  Alengon,  1871. 

2  Pronounced  Shibalbay. 

3  Discovered  by  Spaniards  in  1750,  but   no  illustrations  were   published 
until  1834. 


230  GUATEMALA. 

king,  Topiltzin  Acxitl,  returned  to  the  fruitful  lands  of 
Central  America,  and  in  Honduras  founded  the  kingdom 
of  Hueytlat,  with  the  principal  city  of  Copantl,  now 
known  by  the  wonderful  ruins  of  Copan. 

Other  immigrations  are  mentioned  by  tradition,  but  no 
definite  account  of  their  origin  is  given.  It  seems  prob- 
able, however,  that  certain  tribes,  called  Mam1  or  Mem. 
came  from  the  North  and  destroyed  both  Tula  and  Na- 
chan.  Another  inroad,  led  by  the  four  chiefs  Balam 
Agab,  Balam  Quitze,  Mahucutah,  and  Iq  Balam,  ad- 
vanced as  far  as  Mount  Hacavitz  in  Verapaz,  north  of 
Rabinal ;  and  here  these  chiefs  remained  as  freebooters 
and  founded  that  tribe  known  as  the  Quiches.  They 
constantly  attacked  their  neighbors,  and  offered  the  cap- 
tives taken  in  these  encounters  to  their  god  Tohil,  who. 
with  Avilitz  and  Hacavitz,  formed  the  trinity  in  the 
Quiche  cult.  Force  and  stratagem  proving  of  no  avail 
against  them,  the  surrounding  tribes  gradually  submitted  ; 
and  when  peace  was  established,  the  four  captains  con- 
veniently disappeared,  leaving  the  government  in  the 
hands  of  three  sons,  Iq  Balam  having  no  offspring.  And 
now  we  have  the  curious  account  given  by  the  un- 
known author  of  the  "  Popul  Vuh,"  or  sacred  book  of  the 
Quiches,  of  which  two  translations  exist,  one  in  Spanish 
by  Ximenes,  the  other  in  French  by  the  Abbe  Brasseur 
de  Bourbourg.  The  annalist  tells  us  that  before  the 
departure  of  the  four  chiefs  they  charged  their  sons  to 
undertake  a  journey  to  the  East ;  and  the  new  rulers,  in 
obedience  to  this  command,  passed  the  sea  easily  (Lago 
de  Izabal  ?)  and  came  to  the  city  of  a  great  lord  called 

1  Meaning  dumb,  because  they  could  not  pronounce  certain  letters  of  the 
Cakchiquel  alphabet. 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  231 

Nacxit,1  who  instructed  them  in  the  art  of  government 
and  invested  them  with  the  feather  umbrellas,2  throne, 
and  other  symbols  whose  Indian  names  both  translators 
fail  to  interpret. 

On  their  return  all  their  subjects  received  them  with 
joy  ;  but  so  numerous  had  the  people  become  that  Mount 
Hacavitz  could  no  longer  contain  them,  and  now  began 
the  dispersion  of  the  tribes. 

One  branch  went  westward  and  founded  Izmachi,  a 
city  some  distance  westward  of  Santa  Cruz  del  Quiche. 
No  rude  Indios  these  who  built  Izmachi  of  stone  and 
mortar. 

From  this  centre  grew  the  Quiche  power,  until  it 
reached  from  the  borders  of  Mexico  to  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
and  eastward  to  the  Lago  de  Izabal.  Several  tribes  or 
feudatory  monarchies  owed  allegiance  to  the  ruler  of  Iz- 
machi ;  and  if  we  may  believe  the  "Popul  Vuh,"  we  must 
recognize  a  feudal  system  quite  as  elaborate  as  that  of 
Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages.  A  line  of  monarchs,  extending 
to  fourteen,  or  even  twenty-four,  exercised  authority ;  but 
so  obscure  are  the  accounts  that  the  line  cannot  at  present 
be  followed.  Only  this  seems  clear,  that  there  were  but 
three  great  families  of  the  Quiches,  and  these  lived  in  peace 
for  a  time  in  their  new  lands,  perhaps  during  the  fifth  and 
sixth  centuries  of  our  era.  At  last  the  jealousy  of  the 
tribe  of  Ilocab,  or  the  ambitious  designs  of  the  kings 
Cotuha  and  Iztayul,  kindled  the  first  of  a  long  series  of 
wars  that  in  local  importance  rivalled  those  between 
Rome  and  Carthage.     In  the  security  of  a  long  peace  the 

1  Topiltzin  Acxitl,  the  Tultec  king  of  Copantl. 

2  This  recalls  the  Kahili,  or  feather  standard,  the  symbol  of  authority  in  the 
Hawaiian  Islands. 


232  GUATEMALA. 

guards  of  Cotuha  were  surprised  by  well-armed  visitors 
from  Ilocab ;  but  so  complete  was  the  military  system  of 
the  Quiches  that  immediately  the  hosts  were  collected, 
battled  with  the  rebels,  and  after  utterly  routing  them, 
reduced  some  to  slavery,  and  sacrificed  others  on  the 
bloody  altar  of  Tohil. 

The  successors  of  Cotuha  and  Iztayul  were  Gucumatz 
and  Cotuha  II.,  during  whose  reigns  the  capital  was  re- 
moved to  the  site  called  Utatlan  or  Gumarcah.  On  this 
platform,  so  admirably  adapted  for  fortification,  palaces 
and  altars,  as  well  as  fortifications,  were  built  of  cut 
stone.  Watch-towers  rose  high  in  air,  and  answered  to 
those  in  the  surrounding  mountain  regions.  The  Plaza 
was  paved  with  a  smooth  white  cement  superior  to  the 
stucco  of  Pompeii,  and  the  ruins  so  distinct  forty  years 
ago  tell  a  plain  story  of  an  advanced  civilization.  It  may 
be  of  interest  to  read  what  this  most  remarkable  people 
say  of  themselves,  that  we  may  more  clearly  see  them 
before  us.  Their  greatness  passed  away,  as  did  all  the 
learning,  art,  and  refinement  of  Athens  and  Rome,  to  be 
succeeded  by  ignorance,  slavery,  and  degradation  ;  and 
alas !  this  nation  of  the  New  World  has  left  but  few 
monuments  to  tell  the  story  of  what  it  once  was. 

So  slight  are  the  glimpses  we  have  of  that  past,  that 
the  picture  must  be  a  shadowy  outline  at  best ;  but  it  is 
worth  while  to  trace  even  the  outline,  for  the  portrait 
will  apply  to  the  other  inhabitants  of  Guatemala  as  well 
as  to  the  Quiches.  The  wisdom  of  the  kings  was  magic 
even  to  the  Spanish  annalists,  and  these  tell  of  the  "  Rey 
portentoso  "  Gucumatz  that,  like  the  prophet  Mohammed, 
he  ascended  into  heaven,  where  he  abode  seven  days  ; 
and  that  he  descended  into  hell,  where  he  tarried  other 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  233 

seven  days.  He  transformed  himself  into  a  serpent,  a 
tigre,  an  eagle,  and  a  mass  of  clotted  blood,  each  change 
lasting  seven  days,  —  that  mystic  number  of  the  Cabala 
and  of  European  black  art.  "And  surely,"  says  the 
Spaniard,  "  great  was  the  respect  he  gained  by  these  mira- 
cles before  all  the  lords  and  all  those  of  his  kingdom." 

Nothing  puzzles  the  student  more  than  the  duplication 
and  interchange  of  names ;  but  let  it  be  remembered  that 
the  Quiche  names  that  have  come  to  us  are  rather  titles,  — 
and  this  is  especially  the  case  with  Gucumatz,  a  word 
equivalent  to  the  Aztec  Quetzalcoatl,  which  is  applied  to 
any  distinguished  reformer  or  leader  of  his  people.  Cad- 
mus and  George  Washington  might  both  claim  the  title. 

I  will  translate  from  the  "  Popul  Vuh,"  using  generally 
the  Spanish  version  of  Ximenes,  as  less  influenced  by  the 
theories  of  the  translator  than  the  later  one  of  Brasseur 
de  Bourbourg.  I  begin  with  the  creation  of  the  world 
and  of  man. 

"  Then  the  word  came  to  Tepeu  Gucumatz *  in  the 
shades  of  night ;  it  spoke  to  Gucumatz  and  said  to  him  : 
It  is  time  to  consult,  to  consider,  to  meet  and  hold  coun- 
sel together,  to  join  speech  and  wisdom  to  light  the  way 
and  for  mutual  guidance.  And  the  name  of  this  is 
Huracan,  the  Voice  which  sounds :  the  Voice  of  Thunder  is 
the  first ;  the  second  is  the  Flash  of  Light ;  the  Lightning 
is  the  third.  These  three  are  the  Heart  of  Heaven,  and 
they  descended  to  Gucumatz  at  the  moment  when  he  was 

1  The  signification  of  these  names,  as  given  by  a  distinguished  scholar,  is  as 
follows  :  Hunahpu,  the  one  master  of  supernatural  power ;  Vuch,  opossum  ; 
Gucumatz,  decorated  with  feathers  ;  Xmucane,  female  vigor  ;  Xpiyacoc,  mem- 
brum  virile  (xiphil,  and  ococ,  to  enter)  ;  Huracan,  one  very  great  (hun,  one, 
and  racan,  great)  ;  Cabracan,  second  great  one  ;  Chirakan,  ostium  vaginae  ; 
Tepeu,  high. 


234  .     GUATEMALA. 

considering  the  work  of  creation.     Know  that  this  water 

o 

will  retire  and  give  place  to  land,  which  shall  appear 
everywhere;  there  shall  be  light  in  the  heaven  and  on 
earth :  but  we  have  yet  made  no  being  who  shall  respect 
and  honor  us.  They  spoke,  and  the  land  appeared 
because  of  them." 

After  the  mountains  and  plains  and  rivers  and  all 
animals  of  the  forest  had  been  created,  the  gods  proceeded 
to  form  man.  First  they  made  him  of  mud;  but  the  rains 
descended  and  beat  upon  that  being,  and  he  dissolved. 
Not  being  able  to  make  man  according  to  their  desires, 
they  called  to  their  aid  the  mysterious  powers  of  Xpi- 
yacoc  and  Xmucane,  magic  adepts,  and  by  incantation 
learned  that  man  should  be  made  of  wood,  and  woman  of 
the  pith  of  bulrush.  This  second  edition  of  the  human 
species  was  little  better  than  the  first,  although  more  dur- 
able. The  stiff,  wooden  images  had  neither  fat  nor  blood  ; 
they  could  speak  and  beget  children,  but  lacked  intelli- 
gence. Their  eyes  were  never  turned  to  heaven,  and  their 
tongues  never  glorified  Huracan.  Then  there  fell  from 
heaven  a  torrent  of  bitumen  and  pitch  on  these  ungrate- 
ful children,  a  bird  named  Xecotcovuch  tore  out  their 
eyes,  another,  named  Camulotz,  cut  their  heads,  while  an 
animal  called  Cotzbalam  ate  their  flesh,  and  the  Tucum- 
balam  crushed  their  bones.  The  poor  wretches  climbed 
their  roofs  to  escape  the  flood ;  but  the  walls  crumbled 
beneath  them,  and  the  trees  fled  from  them,  and  when 
they  sought  refuge  in  the  caves  of  the  mountains,  the 
stone  doors  shut  in  their  faces.  Of  all  the  numerous 
progeny  of  this  wooden  couple,  only  a  few  were  pre- 
served, and  from  them  have  descended  the  apes  of  the 
present  day. 


IN   THE   OLDEN"  TIME.  235 

A  third  attempt  was  more  successful,  as  maiz  was  used 
to  form  blood  and  flesh  and  fat.  Xmucane  ground  the 
corn  and  cunningly  concocted  nine  beverages,  which  were 
changed  into  the  various  humors  of  the  body.  This  first 
successful  creation  was  fourfold,  and  the  names  of  the 
quartette  were  identical  with  those  of  the  four  chiefs  who 
conducted  the  Quiches  to  Mount  Hacavitz.  While  these 
primitive  men  slept,  their  wives  were  built, — not,  however, 
by  robbing  the  men,  but  of  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
same  meal. 

The  celestial  powers  did  not,  however,  have  everything 
as  they  wished.  The  man  was  tolerable,  but  by  no  means 
perfect,  for  his  teeth  were  defective ;  and  he  was  built  too 
much  like  the  apes  to  carry  himself  erect  with  perfect 
safety,  hence  he  became  ruptured.  But  there  was  no 
time  to  try  again,  for  they  had  already  a  rival  in  the 
person  of  Vucub-caquix,  —  a  sort  of  Lucifer  who  imagined 
himself  to  be  the  sun,  moon,  and  all  the  stars.  How  he 
was  punished,  the  "Popul  Vuh"  tells  at  length;  and  I  am 
tempted  to  translate  literally,  using  the  text  of  Ximenes, 
that  my  readers  may  judge  both  of  the  style  of  this  sacred 
book,  and  also  of  the  mode  of  thought  and  the  belief 
among  the  Quiches  at  the  time  when  Utatlan  was  in  all 
its  glory. 

ki  This  is,  or  was,  the  cause  of  the  destruction  of  Vucub- 
caquix  by  the  two  young  men.  Hunahpu,  so  was  called 
the  one,  and  the  other  was  called  Xbalanque :  these  more- 
over were  gods,  and  therefore  that  arrogance  seemed  evil 
to  them,  in  that  it  claimed  superiority  to  the  Heart  of 
Heaven  ;  and  they  said,  the  two  young  men  :  '  It  will  not 
be  right  to  let  this  go  on,  for  men  will  not  live  here  on 
earth;  and  so  we  will  try  to  shoot  him  with  the  blow-gun 


236  GUATEMALA. 

(cerhatana)  when  he  is  eating :  we  will  shoot  him  and  dis- 
able him ;  and  then  will  be  dispersed  his  riches,  his  precious 
stones,  and  his  emeralds,  which  are  the  foundation  of  his 
greatness ; '  and  so  said  the  youths,  each  one  with  his  blow- 
gun  on  his  shoulder.  Now,  that  Vucub-caquix  had  two 
sons :  the  elder  was  called  Sipacua,  and  the  second  was 
called  Cabracan,  and  their  mother  was  named  Chimalmat. 
She  was  the  wife  of  Vucub-caquix.  And  that  son  of  his, 
Sipacua,  whose  pasture-ground  was  great  mountains,  that 
one  moreover  in  one  night  before  dawn  made  the  moun- 
tain called  Hunahpupecul,  Yaxcanulmucamob,  Hulisnab, 
because  in  a  night  Sipacua  made  a  mountain ;  and  his 
brother  Cabracan  (this  is,  of  two  feet)  used  to  move  and 
shake  the  mountains  both  great  and  small.  And  so  more- 
over these  two  sons  of  Vucub-caquix  became  proud ;  and 
thus  said  Vucub-caquix :  '  Know  ye  that  I  am  the  sun.' 
c  And  I  am  the  maker  of  the  earth,'  said  Sipacua ;  '  and 
I,'  said  Cabracan,  '  am  lie  who  moves  the  earth,  I  will  de- 
molish all  the  world.'  And  thus  the  sons  of  Vucub-caquix 
became  arrogant  even  as  their  father  was  arrogant ;  and 
this  seemed  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  two  youths,  Hunahpu 
and  Xbalanque.  Nevertheless  our  first  fathers  and 
mothers  were  not  yet  created,  and  thus  the  two  youths 
plotted  the  death  of  Vucub-caquix,  of  Sipacua,  and  of 
Cabracan. 

"  And  here  follows  the  telling  of  the  blow  the  two 
youths  gave  to  Vucub-caquix,  and  how  each  one  was  de- 
stroyed by  his  arrogance. 

"  This  Vucub-caquix  had  a  tree  of  nances,  because  that 
was  his  only  food ;  and  every  day  he  climbed  the  tree  to 
eat  the  fruit.  This  Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque  had  observed 
that  it  was  his  food  ;  and  they  lay  in  ambush,  the  two 


IN    THE   OLDEN   TIME.  237 

youths,  under  the  tree  hidden  among  the  leaves  of  the 
grass.  And  then  came  Vucub-caquix ;  and  while  he  was  yet 
climbing  the  tree,  Hunahpu  fired  a  shot  which  was  well 
aimed,  and  hit  him  in  the  jaw ;  then,  groaning,  he  fell  to 
the  ground.  And  as  soon  as  Hunahpu  saw  Vucub-caquix 
fall,  he  sprang  with  the  greatest  promptitude  to  catch 
him.  Then  Vucub-caquix  seized  Hunahpu  s  arm  and  tore 
it  off  at  the  shoulder ;  and  then  Hunahpu  let  Vucub-caquix 
go  ;  and  so  the  youths  had  the  best  of  it,  for  they  were  not 
beaten  by  Vucub-caquix,  who  ran  home  carrying  Hunahpu' s 
arm,  but  holding  his  broken  jaws. 

"'What  has  happened  to  you?'  said  Chimalmat  to  her 
husband  Vucub-caquix. 

"  'What  has  happened?  But  two  devils  shot  me  with 
a  blow-gun  and  unhinged  my  jaw ;  they  knocked  out  all 
my  teeth,  —  and  how  they  ache !  But  I  have  here  the 
arm  of  one  of  them.  Put  it  in  the  smoke  over  the  fire 
against  they  come  for  it,  the  two  devils ! '  said  Vucub- 
caquix.     And  then  she  hung  up  the  arm  of  Hunahpu. 

"  But  in  the  mean  while  Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque  were 
consulting  as  to  what  was  to  be  done ;  and  having 
taken  counsel,  they  went  to  speak  to  an  ancient  man 
whose  hair  was  white,  and  an  old  woman  who  in  truth 
was  very  old ;  and  so  great  was  the  age  of  the  couple  that 
they  walked  bent  double.  The  old  man  was  called  Sa- 
quinimac,  and  the  old  woman  was  called  Saquinimatzitz. 
And  the  two  youths  said  to  the  old  man  and  the  old 
woman,  — 

"  '  Come  with  us  to  get  our  arm  at  the  house  of  Vucub- 
caquix.  We  will  go  behind  you,  as  if  we  were  your 
grandchildren  whose  father  and  mother  were  dead ;  and 
if  they  question  you,  say  that  we  are  in  your  company, 


238  GUATEMALA. 

and  that  you  are  travelling  about  extracting  the  maggot 
that  eats  the  grinders  and  other  teeth;  and  so  Vucub- 
caquix  will  look  upon  us  as  mere  lads,  and  we  will 
advise  you  what  to  do  further.'  Thus  spoke  the  two 
youths. 

"  '  It  is  well,'  said  the  elders  ;  and  then  they  came  to 
the  corner  of  Vucub-caquix's  house,  where  he  was  re- 
clining on  his  throne.  And  then  they  went  on,  the  two 
elders,  and  the  two  boys  playing  behind  them,  and  they 
went  under  the  house  of  Vucub-caquix,  who  was  groaning 
with  the  pain  of  his  teeth.  When  he  saw  them,  the 
elders  and  the  boys,  he  asked,  — 

"  '  Whence  come  you,  grandparents  ?  7 

" '  We,  lord,  are  going  to  seek  our  remedy.' 

"  '  How  are  you  seeking  your  remedy  ?  Are  these  your 
sons  who  are  with  you  ?  ' 

"  '  No,  lord,  they  are  our  grandchildren  ;  but  we  have 
had  compassion  on  them  so  far  as  to  give  them  a  bit  of 
tortilla,'  the  elders  replied. 

"  Just  then  the  lord  had  a  very  sharp  twinge  of  tooth- 
ache, so  that  he  could  hardly  speak  ;  and  he  begged  them 
to  have  pity  on  him. 

"  '  What  is  it  that  you  do  ;  what  do  you  cure  ? '  said  the 
lord. 

" '  Sir,  our  cure,'  said  the  elders,  '  is  to  extract  the 
maggot  from  the  teeth ;  and  we  cure  eye-troubles,  and 
likewise  broken  bones.' 

" '  Well,  if  this  is  true,  cure  my  toothache  ;  for  I  am 
without  rest,  and  cannot  sleep,  and  my  eyes  trouble  me  also, 
since  the  two  devils  shot  me,  and  so  I  cannot  eat.  Now 
have  compassion  on  me,  for  all  my  teeth  are  rattling 
about ! ' 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  239 

"  '  Surely,  sir,  it  is  a  maggot  which  injures  you  ;  we  will 
pull  out  your  teeth  and  put  others  in  their  place.' 

" '  Oh !  perhaps  that  won't  succeed  ;  but  I  can't  eat 
without  my  teeth  and  eyes.' 

"  And  they  replied,  — 

"  *  We  will  put  others  in  their  place ;  we  will  put  in 
ground  bone.' 

"  But  this  ground  bone  was  only  white  corn. 

"  •  It  is  well,'  said  the  lord ;  '  pull  them  out  and  put 
them  in  order.' 

"And  then  they  took  out  the  teeth  of  Vucub-caquix ;  and 
it  was  only  white  corn  that  they  put  in  the  place  of  teeth, 
and  the  kernels  of  corn  shone  in  his  mouth.  And  his  coun- 
tenance fell,  and  he  never  more  appeared  a  lord ;  but  they 
took  out  all  his  teeth,  and  left  his  mouth  smarting.  And 
when  they  cured  the  eyes  of  Vucub-caquix,  they  tore 
out  the  pupils.  Then  they  took  away  all  his  money,  and 
he  did  not  know  it ;  for  he  was  no  longer  great  nor 
arrogant.  And  this  was  done  by  the  counsel  of  Hunahpu 
and  Xbalanque. 

"  And  Vucub-caquix  died,  and  then  Hunahpu  took  his 
arm ;  and  also  Chimalmat  died,  the  wife  of  Vucub-ca- 
quix ;  and  so  was  lost  all  the  treasure  of  Vucub-caquix. 
Then  the  doctor  took  all  the  precious  stones  which  had 
puffed  him  up  with  pride  here  on  earth.  The  old  man 
and  old  woman  who  did  these  things  were  divine ;  and 
when  they  took  his  arm,  they  put  it  in  its  place,  and 
it  reunited  and  was  well.  And  they  did  these  things 
only  to  cause  the  death  of  Vucub-caquix  because  his 
pride  seemed  an  evil  thing  to  them.  So  did  the  two 
youths,  and  it  was  thus  done  by  the  command  of  the 
Heart  of  Heaven." 


240  GUATEMALA. 

Then  follows  an  account  of  the  pride  and  evil-doing  of 
Sipacua,  and  how  he  destroyed  the  "  cuatrocientos  mucha- 
chos "  (four  hundred  young  men) ;  and  the  Chronicle 
continues  :  — 

"  Then  follows  how  Sipacua  was  conquered  and  killed ; 
how  another  time  he  was  overcome  by  the  youths  Hu- 
nahpu  and  Xbalanque  :  to  them  he  appeared  contemptible 
because  he  had  killed  the  four  hundred  youths.  And  Si- 
pacua was  alone  fishing  and  hunting  crabs  on  the  river 
banks  ;  this  was  his  every-day  diet.  Days  he  spent  seek- 
ing his  food,  while  at  night  he  moved  mountains.  Then 
Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque  made  an  image  of  a  crab.  They 
made  the  large  claws  of  the  crab  of  a  leaf  which  grows 
on  the  trees  and  is  called  ec,  and  the  little  ones  of  other 
smaller  leaves  called  pahac ;  and  the  shell  and  claws 
they  made  of  flat  stones.  And  they  made  it  and  placed  it 
in  a  cave  under  a  hill  called  Meaban,  where  he  was  con- 
quered. Then  they  went  along  and  met  Sipacua  by  the 
rivulet,  and  asked  him  where  he  was  going.  And  Sipacua 
replied,  — 

" i  I  am  not  going  anywhere  ;  I  am  only  looking  for 
something  to  eat. 

"  And  they  asked  him,  '  What  is  your  food  ? ' 

"  '  Only  fishes  and  crabs,  and  I  have  found  none  ;  and 
since  the  day  before  yesterday  I  have  not  eaten,  and  now 
I  cannot  bear  my  hunger.' 

"  Then  said  they :  '  There  is  a  crab  below  in  the  gulch ; 
in  truth  it  is  very  large  :  would  you  might  eat  that !  We 
wanted  to  catch  it,  but  it  bit  us,  and  we  were  in  terror  of 
it,  or  else  we  would  have  caught  it.' 

"  '  Have  pity  on  me  and  take  me  where  it  is,'  said 
Sipacua. 


IN   THE   OLDEN  TIME.  241 

"  '  We  do  not  wish  to,'  said  they  ;  '  but  go,  you  cannot 
lose  your  way.  Go  up  stream,  turn  to  the  right,  and  you 
will  be  in  front  of  it  under  a  great  hill ;  it  is  making  a 
noise  and  making  hovol :  you  will  go  straight  to  it,'  said 
Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque. 

"  '  0  miserable  me  !  if  perchance  you  had  not  found  it,' 
said  Sipacua.  '  I  will  go  and  show  you  where  there  are 
plenty  of  birds ;  you  will  shoot  them  with  the  blow-gun. 
I  alone  know  where  they  are,  and  in  return  for  them  I 
will  go  under  the  rock.' 

"  '  And  shall  you  truly  be  able  to  catch  it?  Do  not  make 
us  return  for  no  purpose  ;  because  we  tried  to  catch  it,  and 
could  not,  because  we  crawled  in  on  our  bellies  and  it  bit 
us  ;  and  so  by  a  trifle  we  could  not  catch  it.  So  it  will  be 
well  for  you  to  go  in  pursuit  tail-end  first.' 

"  '  It  is  well,'  said  Sipacua. 

"  And  then  they  went  with  him  to  the  gulch,  and  the 
crab  was  lying  on  his  side,  and  his  shell  was  very  bright- 
colored  ;  and  here  under  the  valley  was  the  secret  of  the 
youths.  'Hurrah!'  said  Sipacua,  joyfully ;  and  he  wished 
to  eat  it,  for  he  was  dying  with  hunger.  And  he  tried  to 
enter  lying  down ;  but  the  crab  rose  up,  and  he  at  once 
retreated.     And  the  youths  said  to  him,  — 

"  '  Did  n't  you  catch  it  ? ' 

"  '  I  did  n't  catch  it,  I  just  missed  it ;  but  as  it  has  gone 
up  high,  it  will  be  well  for  me  to  enter  head  first.' 

"  And  immediately  he  crawled  in  head  first ;  and  when 
he  had  got  in  all  but  his  knees,  the  mountain  toppled  down 
and  fell  quietly  down  upon  his  breast,  and  he  returned  no 
more.  And  Sipacua  became  stone.  And  thus  was  Sipa- 
cua conquered  by  the  youths  Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque ; 
and  they  tell  that  in  ancient  times  it  was  he  who  made 

16 


242  GUATEMALA. 

the  mountains,  this  elder  son  of  Vucub-caquix.  Under 
the  mountain  which  is  called  Meaban  he  was  overcome, 
and  only  by  a  miracle  was  he  conquered ;  and  now  will 
we  tell  of  the  other  who  was  puffed  up  with  pride. 

"  The  third  fellow  who  was  arrogant,  the  second  son 
of  Vucub-caquix,  who  was  called  Cabracan,  used  to  say, 
'  I  am  the  one  who  destroys  mountains.' 

"  And  so  it  came  to  pass  that  Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque 
declared  that  they  would  put  an  end  to  Cabracan.  Then 
Huracan,  Chipa-caculha,  and  Raxa-caculha  spoke  unto 
Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque,  saying  that  the  second  son  of 
Vucub-caquix  must  be  destroyed  also. 

"  '  This  have  I  commanded,  because  he  does  evil  upon 
the  earth  ;  because  he  makes  himself  very  great,  and  this 
ought  not  so  to  be.  Arise  now,  and  seek  him  towards 
the  sunrise.'     So  spoke  Huracan  to  the  two  youths. 

"'It  is  well,'  they  replied,  'and  it  seems  good  to. us 
to  risk.  There  is  no  danger.  Is  not  your  greatness,  0 
Heart  of  Heaven,  above  all  ? '  Thus  spoke  the  two 
youths  in  reply  to  Huracan,  and  at  the  very  time  Cabra- 
can was  shaking  the  mountains.  Hardly  had  he  shaken 
them  a  little,  kicking  with  his  feet  on  the  ground  (then 
he  was  breaking  the  mountains  great  and  small),  when 
the  two  youths  met  him  and  asked,  — 

11 '  Where  are  you  going,  boy  ?  ' 

"  '  I  am  not  going  anywhere,'  he  replied  ;  '  I  am  only 
here  shaking  the  mountains,  and  I  shall  always  be  shak- 
ing them.' 

"  Then  said  Cabracan  to  Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque, 
1  What  do  you  come  here  for  ?  I  don't  recognize  you, 
nor  do  I  know  what  you  are  here  for.  What  are  your 
names  ? ' 


IN   THE  OLDEN   TIME.  243 

"  '  We  have  no  name,'  replied  they ;  '  we  are  only 
hunters  with  the  blow-gun,  and  we  catch  birds  with 
bird-lime.  We  are  poor  and  have  nothing,  and  we  are 
tramping  over  the  mountains  great  and  small.  Here  in 
the  East  we  see  a  great  mountain,  and  its  sweet  odor  is 
very  pleasant.  And  it  is  so  lofty  that  it  overtops  all  the 
other  mountains.  So  we  have  not  been  able,  it  is  so 
high,  to  catch  a  single  bird.  So  if  it  be  true  that  you 
overturn  mountains,'  said  Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque, 
'  then   you  •  will   aid   us.' 

"  '  It  certainly  is  true,'  said  Cabracan.  '  Have  you  seen 
this  mountain  of  which  you  speak  ?  Where  is  it  ?  I 
will  look  at  it,  and  I  will  topple  it  down.  Where  did 
you  see  it  ?  ' 

"  '  There,'  said  they,  '  it  is,  where  the  sun  rises.'    . 

"  '  Very  well,'  said  Cabracan,  '  let  us  go  ;  and  it  will 
be  strange  if  we  don't  get  some  birds  between  us.  One 
will  go  on  the  right  hand,  the  other  on  the  left.  We 
will  take  our  blow-guns,  and  if  there  is  a  bird  we  '11  shoot 
him.' 

"  So  they  went  on  happily,  shooting  birds  (and  it  should 
be  said  that  when  they  shot,  it  was  not  with  balls  of  clay, 
but  only  with  a  puff  of  breath  did  they  knock  clown 
the  birds),  and  Cabracan  went  on  astonished.  Then  the 
youths  made  a  fire  and  set  about  cooking  the  birds  in  the 
fire ;  and  one  bird  they  anointed  with  tizate,  white  earth 
they  put  on  it.  '  This  we  will  give  him,'  said  they,  '  when 
desire  is  strong  upon  him,  smelling  its  savor.  This  our 
bird  shall  conquer  him,  for  in  conquering  him  he  must 
fall  to  the  ground ;  and  in  the  ground  must  he  be  buried 
(wise  is  the  Creator  !)  before  human  beings  are  brought 
to  light.'     So  spoke  the  two  youths,  and  to  themselves 


244  GUATEMALA. 

they  said  it.  Great  desire  had  Cabracan  in  his  heart  to 
eat  of  it.  Then  they  turned  the  bird  on  the  fire  and 
seasoned  it.  Now  it  was  brown,  and  the  fat  of  the 
birds  ran  out,  and  the  savor  was  delectable ;  so  Cabracan 
was  most  eager  to  eat  them,  and  his  mouth  watered,  and 
the  saliva  dropped  from  it,  because  of  the  delicious  smell 
the  birds  gave  out.     And  then  he  asked  them,  — 

"  '  What  is  this  your  food  ?  Truly  it  is  an  appetizing 
odor  I  smell ;  give  me  a  bit.' 

"  He  spoke,  and  then  was  given  a  bird  to  Cabracan 
for  his  destruction ;  and  he  quickly  finished  the  bird. 
And  then  they  went  on,  and  came  to  the  birthplace 
of  the  sun,  where  was  that  great  mountain.  But  Cab- 
racan was  now  sickened,  and  he  had  no  strength  in  his 
hands  anofc  feet,  because  of  that  earth  which  they  had 
put  on  the  bird  he  ate  ;  and  now  he  could  no  longer 
do  anything  to  the  mountains,  nor  could  he  overturn 
them.  So  the  youths  tied  his  hands  behind  him,  and 
likewise  tied  his  feet  together,  and  threw  him  on  the 
ground  and  buried  him.  So  was  Cabracan  conquered 
by  Hunahpu  and  Xbalanque  alone.  It  is  not  possible 
to  tell  the  feats  these  youths  did  here  on  earth." 

The  author  of  the  "  Popul  Vuh,"  however,  goes  on  to 
tell  of  some  of  the  wonders  they  did  in  Xibalbay.  — 
which  Ximenes  considers  hell,  —  and  my  readers  would 
rind  the  story  very  amusing  ;  but  I  have  translated  per- 
haps enough  to  show  the  ideas  of  the  Quiches  ten  cen- 
turies ago. 

The  Quiche  kings  had  removed  their  capital  from 
Izmachi  to  Gumarcah,  —  afterwards  called  Utatlan, — 
not  far  from  the  modern  Spanish  town  of  Santa  Cruz 
del  Quiche  ;    and  it  was  the   poor  remains  of  this  city, 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME. 


245 


destroyed  three  centuries  and  a  half  ago,  that  I  visited  in 
iournevincr  through  Guatemala.  The  situation  was  a  fine 
one,  well  suited  for  the  metropolis  of  an  extensive  king- 
dom ;  for  while  roads  and  mountain-passes  gave  access 
in  all  directions,  the  very  mountains  formed  a  wall  easily 
guarded,  and  watch-towers  to  discover  approaching  dan- 
ger. It  was  situated  not  unlike  Granada  on  the  Vega 
in  the  Sierras  of  Andalusia  ;  and  like  that  noble  capital 
of  the  Moorish  kingdom,  it  was  well  fortified,  and  em- 
bellished with  all  the  knowledge  and  taste  of  the  time. 

On  the  platform  where  Frank  and  I  had  stumbled  over 
the  confused  piles  of  rubbish  and  tried  in  vain  to  trace 
the  buildings,  so  distinct  only  forty  years  before,  the 
mighty  Gucumatz  had  built  high 
the  altar  of  the  bloodthirsty  Tohil, 
—  a  steep  pyramid  in  the  centre  of 
the  rebuilt  Gumarcah,  now  called 
Utatlan.  Our  knowledge  of  the 
ceremonial  of  that  Quiche  worship 
is  but  slight ;  but  enough  is  known 
to  give  an  air  of  reality  to  the  pile 
of  rubbish  that  alone  marks  the 
site  of  the  holy  place  of  this  an- 
cient kingdom.  I  sat  near  the 
base  of  the  altar,  and  the  city 
walls  arose  about  me  ;  the  ruin  of 
three  centuries  departed,  and  again  all  was  new  and  full 
of  busy  life.  Around  me,  but  at  a  suitable  distance  from 
the  altar-temple,  were  the  palaces  of  the  princes,  built  of 
cut  stone  and  covered  with  the  most  brilliant  white 
stucco.  From  the  flat  roofs  of  these  massive  dwellings 
floated    banners   of   many   colors    and    strange    devices  j 


Ancient   Temple. 
(From  an  old  Manuscript. ) 


246 


GUATEMALA. 


arches  of  evergreens  and  flowers  spanned  every  entrance 
to  this  Plaza,  whose  floor  was  of  the  smoothest,  whitest 
stucco,  and  heaps  of  fragrant  flowers  were  piled  at  the 
palace-doorways  and  about  the  great  altar  that  towered 
like  a  mountain  of  light  in  the  midst.  All  around  me 
were  the  phantom  forms  of  the  Indios,  clad  in  garments 
of  rich  colors,   but  silent  and   expectant ;    I   seemed   to 

know  them  all  and  understand 
their  tongue.  It  was  the  most 
sacred  festival  of  the  year ;  the 
rains  had  ceased,  and  the  sum- 
mer was  beginning,  —  and  a 
summer  at  Utatlan  was  a  de- 
light unequalled  in  the  outer 
world. 

For  many  months  the  high 
priest  and  king  had  hidden 
himself  from  the  sight  of  man, 
high  in  the  mountains  that  over- 
look  the  Quiche  plain.  In  his 
casa  verde  he  was  engaged  in 
prayer  and  meditation,  while 
his  only  food  was  fruit  and  un- 
cooked maiz.  His  body  was 
unclothed,  but  stained  with  dismal  dyes  ;  and  twice  every 
day,  as  the  sun  rose  and  set,  he  cut  himself  with  an 
obsidian  knife  on  his  arms,  legs,  tongue,  and  genitals, 
that  he  might  offer  his  choicest  blood  to  the  divinity  he 
worshipped.  Once  only  in  his  life  must  he  do  this ;  and 
scattered  in  the  remote  mountain-hermitages  were  many 
nobles  keeping  him  company  in  the  spirit.  These  were 
the  fathers  of  the  young  men  who  had  not  yet  offered 


Indio   Sacrificing. 


IN  THE  OLDEX  TIME.  247 

their  blood,  and  had  been  selected  to  be  the  god-children 
of  their  king  and  priest.  In  these  lonely  retreats  the 
fathers  taught  their  sons  manly  duties,  and  drew  their 
blood  from  the  five  wounds.1 

The  votaries  had  gathered  from  their  various  cells  at 
the  sound  of  the  drum,  which  was  beaten  only  on  most 
solemn  occasions,  and  were  marching  in  procession  to  the 
Plaza.  I  could  see  them  as  they  filed  on  to  the  narrow 
causeway  that  led  into  the  town,  and  then  they  were  lost 
to  sight  as  they  climbed  the  steep  ascent.  In  profound 
silence  these  men  and  youths,  naked  as  they  were  born, 
entered  the  enclosure  and  seated  themselves  at  the  foot 
of  the  altar-steps.  The  solemn  silence  was  now  suddenly 
broken  by  a  crash  of  trumpets  and  drums,  while  a  pro- 
cession of  a  different  kind  took  up  its  march  to  the  tem- 
ple. Bright  colors  and  the  gleam  of  gold  and  precious 
stones,  the  clang  of  barbaric  music  and  the  sound  of  holy 
songs,  reached  the  eye  and  ear  as  the  idols,  which  had 
been  carefully  concealed  since  the  last  fiesta,  were  now 
brought  to  the  place  of  sacrifice.  Strange  things  these 
were,  —  not  of  "  heaven  above,  nor  the  earth  beneath, 
nor  of  the  waters  which  are  under  the  earth,"  but  carved 
from  wood  and  stone  and  decked  with  beaten  gold,  hung 
with  jewels,  and  borne  triumphantly  on  the  shoulders  of 
the  noblest  citizens.  Then  all  was  joy  and  bustle  in  the 
Plaza.  The  hermits  were  clothed  with  new  robes  and 
welcomed  back  with  honor,  the  high  priest  put  on  his 
robes  and  mitre,  and  for  a  while  the  people  gave  them- 

1  It  is  probable  that  at  this  time  they  circumcised  their  sons,  although  we 
have  no  direct  statement  to  that  effect.  The  Mayas  practised  this  sanatory 
measure,  which  seems  to  have  had  no  religious  significance.  Stone  knives 
were  used,  and  only  once. 


248  GUATEMALA. 

selves  up  to  music  and  dancing  and  ball-playing ;  it 
seemed  as  if  life  had  no  other  end.  But  a  terrible  solem- 
nity was  to  come.  Even  among  the  dancers  I  saw  men 
clothed  in  a  peculiar  but  rich  garb,  —  generally  of  an- 
other people,  but  not  always  foreign ;  and  I  knew  that 
these  men  had  for  days  before  the  festival  gone  freely 
through  the  town,  entered  any  house,  even  the  royal 
palace,  where  the  food  they  sought  was  freely  given 
them,  and  they  were  treated  with  marked  respect.  Out- 
side the  city-walls  were  some  of  them,  with  collars  about 
their  necks,  attended  by  four  officers  of  the  king's  guard. 
Food,  drink,  and  even  the  women  were  free  to  these 
honored  men ;  but  they  were  captives  taken  in  war,  or 
perhaps  men  who  were  obnoxious  to  the  king,  and  were 
to  be  sacrificed  to  Tohil.  A  terrible  death  awaited  them  ; 
but  they  regarded  their  fate  as  a  matter  they  could  not 
help,  and  with  Indian  stolidity  enjoyed  the  frolics  of  the 
people  and  smiled  at  care.  It  was  strange  to  see  how 
little  any  one  seemed  to  be  affected  by  the  certainly  ap- 
proaching death  of  their  fellows.  Every  one  knew  what 
was  coming ;  but  no  dread  anticipation  marred  the  festive 
scene. 

The  music  ceased  in  the  Plaza,  the  chief  idol  was 
placed  on  the  altar-top,  and  the  priests  and  nobles 
seized  the  victims  by  the  hair  and  passed  them,  strug- 
gling, one  by  one  up  the  steep  steps  of  the  altar  to  the 
chief  priest,  who  stood  high  on  the  sacrificatorio  in  the 
sight  of  all  the  people.  There  was  no  murmur,  not  even 
a  shudder,  among  the  multitude,  only  the  involuntary 
shrieks  of  the  sacrifice  as  the  priest  cut  into  his  breast 
with  the  stone  knife  and  tore  out  his  quivering  heart. 
Holding   this    in   the    golden    spoon    of   the    temple,    he 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  249 

placed  it  reverently  in  the  mouth  of  the  idol,  loudly 
chanting  this  prayer  :  "  Lord,  hear  us,  for  we  are  thine  ! 
Give  us  health,  give  us  children  and  prosperity,  that 
thy  people  may  increase  !  Give  us  water  and  the  rains, 
that  we  may  be  nourished  and  live !  Hear  our  suppli- 
cations, receive  our  prayers,  assist  us  against  our  ene- 
mies, and  grant  us  peace  and  quiet ! "  And  the  people 
cried,  "  So  be  it,  0  Lord ! " 

The  body  had  been  extended  on  a  rounded  sacrificial 
stone  and  the  neck  held  securely  by  the  yoke ;  but  now 
it  was  hurled  down  the  side  of  the  pyramid  where  there 
were  no  steps,  and  those  appointed  carried  the  remains 
to  the  caldron  whither  those  who  had  the  right  came 
for  the  cooked  meat,  the  hands  and  feet  being  reserved 
for  the  officiating  priest.1  One  by  one  the  victims  were 
offered  to  the  idol,  while  the  pyramid  was  no  longer 
white,  but  crimson ;  and  their  death-shrieks  were  ring- 
ing in  my  ear,  when  Frank  laid  his  hand  on  my  shoulder 
and  asked  if  I  was  asleep.  Called  back  to  deserted  ruins 
and  the  humdrum  present,  I  could  not  entirely  shake 
off  the  impression  of  the  past.  On  that  little  mound 
where  we  were  sitting  so  peacefully,  hundreds,  yes, 
thousands,  of  our  fellow-men  had  writhed  in  agony  to 
satisfy  the  enmity  of  their  fellows  or  to  be  an  ac- 
ceptable offering  to  the  gods  who  were  supposed  to 
be  their  creators.2 .    Truly  there  are  few  nations  whose 

1  I  have  often  had  the  pleasure  of  conversing  with  cannibals,  and  they 
always  assured  me  that  the  hands  were  the  choicest  morsel.  It  will  be  noted 
that  the  Central  American  Indios  always  boiled  their  cannibal  food,  while 
the  Pacific  Islanders  as  generally  roasted  it.  In  one  of  the  manuscripts  pre- 
served in  the  Vatican  Library  is  a  clear  picture  of  this  process,  and  the  kettle 
seems  large  enough  to  receive  the  body  whole. 

2  It  is  the  way  of  Christian  communities  to  speak  with  holy  horror  of  the 
human  sacrifices  these  heathen  were  accustomed  to  offer  at  each  new  year  to 


250  GUATEMALA. 

religious  history  is  pleasant  reading ;  let  us  turn  to  other 
matters. 

The  more  artificial  civilization  becomes,  the  weaker 
is  the  desire  for  offspring ;  and  we  must  relegate  the 
Quiches,  by  this  rule,  to  a  very  primitive  state,  for  the 
burden  of  their  prayers  was  ll  Give  unto  us  children," 
and  their  faith  was  incarnate  in  works.  They  believed, 
with  the  psalmist,  that  "  children  are  an  heritage  of  the 
Lord ;  happy  is  the  man  that  hath  his  quiver  full  of 
them."  Hence  the  birth  of  a  child  was  a  most  auspi- 
cious event,  to  be  celebrated  with  feasts  and  rejoicings, 
and  each  returning  birthday  was  duly  remembered. 
"With  the  truest  mercy,  they  put  an  end  to  all  children 
born  deformed  or  defective  in  mind  or  body ;  hence 
deformed  or  idiotic  persons  are  exceedingly  rare  among 
their  descendants. 

The  Quiches  possessed  the  art  of  writing,  though  in 
logographs  or  ideographs,  and  they  were  skilled  in  the 
use   of   colors.1     I   present    some   of   the    more    common 

their  gods  ;  the  bloodthirsty  Christian  Spaniards  spoke  much  in  the  same,  way 
of  these  sacrifices  three  centuries  ago.  While  the  Indios  did  what  they  hon- 
estly believed  was  right,  and  did  it  in  a  most  merciful  manner,  without  tor- 
ture, the  cruel  invaders,  in  the  name  of  the  gentle  Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  of 
the  Mother  of  God,  burned  these  poor  Indios  alive  by  hundreds  (Las  Casas 
says  by  thousands),  or  gave  them  to  be  torn  in  pieces  by  the  dogs.  Let  the 
Christian  nations  hold  their  peace  over  the  human  sacrifices  of  Central  Amer- 
ica, when  they  remember  the  Holy  Inquisition,  St.  Bartholomew,  and  the 
tortures  of  Jews,  Turks,  witches,  Quakers,  and  other  heretics,  sanctioned  by 
the  Christian  Church,  —  murders  so  cruel,  so  unprovoked,  that  they  make  the 
sacrifices  of  the  Indios  seem  no  worse  than  justifiable  homicide.  Were  the 
sacrifices  to  Tohil  so  much  more  sinful  than  the  sacrifices  so  common  in  this 
enlightened  nation  of  children  born,  or  unborn,  to  the  Molochs  of  Comfort  or 
Reputation? 

1  The  Spaniards  found,  according  to  Herrera  (Decade  III.  lib.  iv.),  paint- 
ings done  at  Utatlan  eight  hundred  years  before  the  Conquest,  in  which  were 
represented  the  three  kinds  of  royal  insignia,  —  indicating  an  antiquity  greater 
than  that  of  the  Aztecs. 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME. 


251 


forms,  traced  from  the  copies  in  Kingsborough's  "  Antiqui- 
ties." The  first,  two  interlocked  elbows,  signifies  the 
fourth  day  of  the  month ;  one  of  the  elbows  was  colored 
red  in  the  manuscript,  while  the  other  was  green,  both 
having  an  inner  border  of  yellow.  The  simple  hinge 
was  of   blue  and  red,  with  a   yellow  articulation;   the 


Ideographs.     . 

hinge  enclosing  a  dagger  was  yellow  and  green  with 
red  inner  borders,  and  the  dagger  was  red,  yellow,  and 
blue.  The  character  denoting  or  representing  a  temple 
is  readily  recognized,  and  its  usual  colors  are  red  and 
yellow ;  but  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  these  colors 
were  always  the  same,  they  evidently  depended  on  the 
taste  of  the  scribe.  A 
rude  figure  of  a  censer 
with  a  long  handle 
through  which  the  priest 
could  blow  upon  the  burn- 
ing gum  copal  used  as 
incense,  always  denoted 
a  sacrifice.  This  art  of 
pictorial  representation  could  not  strictly  be  called  writ- 
ing, but  was  a  very  useful  substitute  for  it,  and  it  was 
continued  long  after  the  Conquest.  I  have  thought,  after 
looking  at  some  of  the  caricatures  of  the  priests  of  the 
new  worship  which  was  forced  upon  these  Indios,  of  the 
rite  of  baptism,  and  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  that  per- 


Ancient   Incense-burner. 


252  GUATEMALA. 

haps  these  unfortunate  subjects  had  as  much  influence  in 
the  wanton  destruction  of  aboriginal  literature  as  had  the 
alleged  doctrine  of  devilish  things  with  which  the  books 
were  said  to  be  imbued.  The  old  Spanish  priests  ought 
to  have  felt  little  fear  of  a  creature  they  knew  so  well  as 
the}'  knew  Satan.  The  shaven  crowns  of  the  padres 
were  easily  represented  even  by  less  skilled  draughts- 
men than  the  Quiches,  and  the  new  doctrines  gave  the 
irreverent  splendid  chances  for  effective  caricatures. 

In  textile  work  they  were  advanced,  obtaining  results 
with  their  rude  hand-looms  that  even  to-day  would  hold 
their  own  against  the  machine-made  fabrics  of  the  pres- 
ent day  for  durability  and  aptness  of  design,  even  as 
the  barbaric  cashmere  shawl  cannot  be  equalled  by  the 
skilled  artisans  of  France.  To-day  the  weavers  of  this 
region  produce  cloths  of  very  attractive  design  and 
made  of  honest  material,  while  their  shawls  or  blankets 
are  often  works  of  art.  I  once  watched  an  Indian  woman 
weaving  a  girdle  on  a  narrow  loom  not  more  than  six 
inches  wide ;  and  without  pattern  before  her  she  traced 
figures  resembling  those  in  the  old  manuscripts,  though 
mingled  with  very  modern-looking  pictures.  The  coun- 
try abounds  in  dye-stuffs,  so  it  is  not  surprising  that 
their  color-sense  has  been  well  developed  by  use.  For 
fibres  they  were  limited  to  cotton  and  wool  in  the  looms, 
reserving  the  pita  and  other  coarser  fibres  for  hammocks 
and  redes. 

Pottery  of  good  shape  and  well  baked  is  found  among 
the  ruins  of  Utatlan,  and  Stephens  saw  a  figure  of  terra- 
cotta that  must  have  required  no  little  skill  to  model 
and  bake.  All  the  potsherds  a  diligent  though  not 
extended  search  gave  us  were  of   dark  red  color,  hard 


IN   THE   OLDEN  TIME.  253 

baked,  and  evidently  portions  of  spherical  vessels.  Not  a 
sign  of  roof-tiles  was  seen,  nor  any  painted  fragments, 
although  figured  work  was  common  enough. 

The  Quiche  rivers  abounded  in  fish,  and  the  forests  and 
mountains  in  game,  while  the  fields  produced  abundant 
crops  with  little  labor.  No  wonder  the  Spanish  con- 
querors found  a  civilization  that  astonished  them,  a 
wealth  which  roused  all  their  terrible  cupidity,  but  a 
resistance  more  determined  and  bloody  than  they  had 
found  in  Mexico. 

It  may  not  interest  my  readers  to  go  deeply  into  the 
forms  of  government  in  those  ancient  times,  but  it  may 
be  said  that  it  was  an  aristocratic  monarchy  hereditary 
in  this  peculiar  way.  When  the  principal  king  (Ahau- 
Ahpop)  of  the  dual  reign  (there  were  always  two  kings 
at  a  time)  died,  the  crown  he  had  worn  passed  to  his 
oldest  brother,  who  performed  the  functions  of  Ahpop- 
Camha,  and  as  second  king  had  share  in  the  government. 
The  oldest  son  of  the  Ahau-Ahpop,  who  during  the  life 
of  his  father  had  been  Nim-Chocoh-Cawek,  became  Ah- 
pop-Camha,  and  his  cousin  (son  of  the  king's  brother), 
who  had  been  Ahau-Ah-Tohil  or  high  priest  of  this  god, 
Nim-Chocoh-Cawek,  the  elder  son  of  the  new  sovereign 
taking  the  vacant  post. 

In  this  wise  method  of  civil  service  regencies  were 
never  needed,  and  each  king  had  fitted  himself,  by  exercise 
of  subordinate  but  important  offices,  for  the  supreme  rule. 
If  any  one  of  these  dignitaries  proved  his  unfitness  for 
advancement,  he  was  passed  over,  and  the  next  in  rank 
chosen ;  and  thus  through  a  long  series  of  offices.  The 
corrupting  influences  of  so-called  popular  elections,  which 
are  usually  manipulated  by  a  few  conscienceless  politicians 


254  GUATEMALA. 

who  use  the  "  dear  people  "  simply  as  cat's-paws,  are  cer- 
tainly avoided ;  but  was  it  not  possible  to  hasten  the  suc- 
cession, or  to  have  a  sort  of  "  commission  of  lunacy " 
condemn  an  unpopular  candidate,  and  so  advance  another 
unrighteously  ?  The  insignia  of  the  four  chief  dignitaries 
were  feather  canopies,  of  which  the  king  had  four,  and  the 
others  in  descending  series.  A  council  of  the  chief  families 
advised  the  monarch  in  his  government. 

The  judges,  who  were  also  tax-gatherers,  were  ap- 
pointed from  the  noble  families,  and  held  office  during 
good  behavior ;  death  was  the  penalty  for  impeding  these 
magistrates  in  their  office.  Capital  punishment  was  ren- 
dered more  bitter  by  the  confiscation  of  the  victim's  pos- 
sessions and  the  enslavement  of  his  immediate  relatives. 
Breaches  of  trust  ranked  first  among  crimes,  and  homicide, 
adultery,  confirmed  robbery,  larceny  of  sacred  things, 
witchcraft,  rape,  were  all  capital  crimes  ;  and  the  strangers 
who  hunted  or  fished  in  the  forests  or  rivers  of  the  country, 
as  well  as  the  slaves  who  ran  away  the  second  time,  were 
punished  with  death. 

There  were  laws  against  polygamy,  and  only  the  first 
wife  was  legitimate ;  but,  as  among  the  most  civilized  na- 
tions of  modern  times,  there  were  many  concubines.  In 
Guatemala  perhaps  this  practice  was  more  open  and 
honest  than  in  modern  states  and  times.  Only  the  chil- 
dren of  the  lawful  wife  could  inherit,  and  the  man  who 
died  without  lawful  issue  was  buried  with  his  wealth, 
consisting  generally  of  cotton  cloths,  ornaments,  feathers. 
and  cacao,  which  served  as  money.  The  laws  of  all  the 
Central  American  tribes  were  severe,  and  differed  some- 
what from  those  of  the  Quiches.  But  it  has  not  seemed  de- 
sirable to  discuss  these  here ;  we  will  rather  consider  some 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  255 

of  the  customs  common  to  most  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  kingdom  of  Guatemala,  and  so  pass  beyond  the 
walls  of  Utatlan,  to  which,  however,  we  shall  presently 
return. 

Agriculture  among  the  Central  American  nations  was 
mostly  confined  to  the  planting  of  maiz  and  beans  (frijoles), 
which  were  staple  products  and  served  as  a  currency  in 
gross,  while  cacao,  which  was  said  to  have  been  first 
planted  by  Hunahpu,  eighth  king  of  Quiche,  served  for 
small  change.  They  cultivated  cotton,  which  furnished 
their  clothing,  and  tobacco,  which  they  smoked  with 
moderation.  Chocolate  was  not  a  common  drink,  but 
reserved  for  the  nobles  and  soldiers  who  had  distin- 
guished themselves  in  battle.  The  cacao  was  planted  with 
great  ceremony.  Seeds  of  the  largest  pods  were  selected 
and  carefully  fumigated  with  copal  and  other  gums ;  and 
these  seeds  were  then  left  in  the  open  air  four  nights 
during  the  time  of  the  full  moon,  and  meanwhile  the 
planters  attended  assiduously  to  their  marital  duties. 
Onions,  plantains,  potatoes,  yams,  chickpease,  squashes 
of  various  kinds,  supplied  their  table,  and  many  native 
fruits  added  to  their  comfort.  The  Indios  then,  as  now, 
were  very  fond  of  flowers  ;  but  whether  they  generally  cul- 
tivated them,  or  found  enough  growing  spontaneously, 
we  do  not  know.  Certainly  there  were  royal  gardens  at 
Utatlan. 

In  manufactures,  weaving  was  of  first  importance,  and 
the  threads  were  dyed  with  indigo,  cochineal,  or  purple. 
Embroidery  was  also  much  used.  Then  from  fibrous 
plants  they  plaited  hammocks  and  nets,  from  reeds  (junco) 
they  wove  hats  of  great  durability,  and  from  withes, 
baskets  and  sacks.     The  potter's  work  was  also  of  great 


256  GUATEMALA. 

importance,  and  the  vases,  bowls,  and  jars,  often  of  great 
size,  were  colored  with  certain  waters  and  mineral  de- 
posits. I  do  not  know  that  they  had  any  glaze,  other 
than  perhaps  salt. 

They  had  no  iron,  but  they  made  tools  from  an  alloy 
of  copper  and  tin  to  which  they  gave  an  extraordinary 
hardness,  and  they  also  used  obsidian  for  knives  and 
cutting  instruments  generally.  Remains  of  knife-fac- 
tories are  common  enough  through  the  country,  and  often, 
too  where  the  raw  material  is  not  in  situ.  Gold  was 
found  in  the  streams,  and  the  goldsmiths  attained  no  little 
skill  in  making  ornaments,  which  were  often  enriched 
with  precious  stones,  especially  opals  from  Honduras. 
Curious  feather  work  was  brought  from  Tesulutan  in 
Verapaz. 

They  made  paper  from  a  bark  called  amatl,  and  also 
used  parchment.  Maps  were  plotted,  and  the  scribes  had 
books  in  which  were  entered  all  the  divisions  of  the  land  : 
and  to  these,  as  to  a  registry  of  deeds,  were  referred  all 
disputes  about  real  estate.  Chroniclers  there  were  who 
compiled  great  books,  many  of  which  Las  Casas  saw  ;  and 
these,  he  tells  us,  were  burned  by  the  early  missionaries, 
who  have  thus  earned  the  curses  of  succeeding  genera- 
tions. Superhuman  must  have  been  their  good  deeds  to 
counterbalance  this  destruction ! 

The  Quiches,  Cakchiquels,  and  nearly  all  the  other 
tribes  divided  the  year  into  eighteen  months  of  twenty 
days,  adding  five  days  (consecrated  to  Votan)  to  complete 
the  cycle,  and  every  fourth  year  still  another  day.  There 
were  twenty  day-names,  of  which  we  have  three  slightly 
differing  lists;  but  the  month  was  not  subdivided  into 
weeks. 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME. 


257 


We  know  but  little  of  the  games  and  amusements  of 
the  Indios  in  ancient  times ;  but  Torquemada  has  described * 
for  us  one  national  game,  which  seems  to  have  required 
more  skill  and  agility  than  the  game  of  court-tennis  (I 
do  not  speak  of  the  effeminate  lawn-tennis).  The  court 
consisted  of  two  parallel  walls  very  thick,  and  about  one 
hundred  feet  apart.  These  walls  were  thirty  feet  high, 
and  in  each,  at  a  height  of  from  twenty  to  twenty-four 
feet,  was  a  stone  ring  usually  sculptured  in  some  careful 
manner.  At  the 
open  ends  of  the 
court  were  two  little 
temples.  A  ball  of 
rubber,  large  and 
very  hard,  was  used 
by  the  players,  who 
received  the  coming 
ball,  not  on  a  bat  or 
racket,  but  on  the 
padded  buttock, 
from  which  the  play- 
er endeavored  to 
throw  it  through  the 
ring,  but  without  touching  it  with  his  hands.  As  the 
hole  was  only  about  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  this 
was  a  most  difficult  feat,  requiring  great  flexibility  of 
the  pelvic  and  thigh  muscles.  The  victor  was  allowed 
to  take  the  clothes  of  any  of  the  spectators ;  so  it  may 
be  supposed  these  went  to  the  game  in  scant  garb. 
Remains  of  these  ball-grounds  are  found  in  many  cities, 
and  the  stone  ring  of  the  illustration  is  at  Chichen  Itza ; 

1  Monarquia  Indiana,  lib.  ii.  ch.  xii. 
17 


Stone    Ring  for   Ball    Game. 


258  GUATEMALA. 

it    is    four    feet    in    diameter,    and    decorated   with   the 
symbols  of  Quetzalcoatl. 

A  nation  of  warriors,  it  would  be  supposed  their  arts 
would  provide  arms  both  offensive  and  defensive ;  but 
there  seems  to  have  been  nothing  of  peculiar  originality. 
Arrows  and  darts,  often  poisoned,  hatchets  and  wooden 
swords,  in  which  were  inserted  obsidian  teeth,  were  their 
weapons  of  offence,  and  those  of  defence  were  coats  of 
quilted  cotton,  which  the  Spaniards  were  not  slow  to 
adopt,  and  shields  of  skins  lined  with  cotton.  While  the 
generals  and  other  officers  were  clothed  in  skins  of  pumas, 
jaguars,  eagles,  and  other  animals,  it  does  not  appear  that 
the  rank  and  file  had  any  especial  uniform.1  All  joined 
battle  with  yells  and  the  lugubrious  blasts  of  the  tun  or 
tejoonaztles,  —  a  sort  of  trumpet  sounding  even  worse  than 
an  Alpine  lure. 

Let  us  return  to  Utatlan,  and  follow  for  a  while  the 
fortunes  of  the  Quiches.  Under  brave  kings  their  bounds 
had  extended,  and  towns,  tribes,  and  nations  were  com- 
pelled to  acknowledge  the  kings  of  Utatlan  as  their 
lieges.  In  all  this  external  prosperity,  internal  dissen- 
sions arose  ;  and  the  plebs,  incited  by  demagogues,  de- 
manded privileges  which  the  king,  Quicab,  was  compelled 
to  grant  after  the  palaces  of  the  nobles  had  been  sacked 
by  the  mob.  Another  more  serious  trouble  arose  from 
this  mob-rule.  It  was  the  custom  for  the  rulers  of  the 
conquered  tribes  to  reside  at  court  at  least  a  part  of  the 
year ;  and  the  two  kings  of  the  Cakchiquels,  Huntoh  and 
Vucubatz,  were   visiting    Quicab,  when   a    street-riot,  of 

1  Among  the  curious  illustrations  in  the  Kiagsborough  Collection  are  coats 
of  armor  belonging  to  the  nobles,  consisting  of  a  shirt  of  simple  body-form, 
embroidered  or  painted  with  various  devices.  With  these  are  helmets,  some- 
times of  conical  shape,  but  frequently  in  form  of  animal  heads. 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  259 

no  importance  in  itself,  turned  the  mob  against  the 
Cakchiquels,  and  they  loudly  called  upon  Quicab  to 
surrender  the  Cakchiquel  kings  to  their  fury.  The 
wise  old  king  warned  these  of  their  danger,  and  ad- 
vised them  to  retire  to  Iximche,  or  Tecpan  Quauhte- 
malan.  They  did  so,  and  this  city  became  their  capital. 
Now  the  fortunes  of  the  Cakchiquels  wax,  while  those 
of  the  Quiches  wane.  The  new  capital  is  fortified, 
and  its  inhabitants  prepare  for  the  strife  evidently 
impending. 

The  first  attack  is  made  by  the  Quiches,  who  are 
beaten,  and  for  a  few  years  remain  quiet.  Their  king 
Quicab  dies,  and  Tepepul  II.,  the  ninth  king,  reigns  with 
Iztayul  III.  The  kings  of  the  Cakchiquels  were  now 
Oxlahuhtzi  and  Cablahu-Tihax,  under  whose  reign  a  fam- 
ine, caused  by  unusual  cold,  troubles  the  capital.  The 
Quiches  saw  a  chance  again  to  subdue  their  rebellious 
vassals,  and  an  army  was  gathered,  which  with  great 
pomp  set  out  from  Utatlan,  carrying  the  god  Tohil 
with  it.  A  deserter  from  the  Quiche  army  warned  the 
kings  of  Iximche  of  their  peril,  and  they  bravely  pre- 
pared for  the  contest.  In  the  Cakchiquel  Chronicle 
we  have  this  description  of  the  battle  :  — 

"  As  soon  as  the  dawn  began  to  brighten  the  mountain- 
tops  the  war-cries  were  heard,  standards  were  unfurled, 
drums  and  conchs  resounded,  and  in  the  midst  of  this 
clamor  the  rapidly  moving  files  of  the  Quiches  were  seen 
descending  the  mountains  in  every  direction. 

"  Arrived  at  the  banks  of  the  stream  that  runs  by  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  they  occupied  some  houses  and  formed 
in  battle  under  the  command  of  the  kings  Tepepul  and 
Iztayul. 


2G0  GUATEMALA. 

"  The  encounter  was  awful  and  fear-inspiring.  The 
war-cries  and  the  clangor  of  the  martial  instruments  stu- 
pefied the  combatants,  and  the  heroes  of  both  armies  made 
use  of  all  their  enchantments.  Notwithstanding,  after  a 
little  the  Quiches  were  broken,  and  confusion  entered 
their  ranks.  The  most  of  their  army  fled  without  fight- 
ing, and  the  losses  were  so  great  that  they  could  not  be 
calculated.  Among  the  captives  were  the  kings  Tepepul 
and  Iztayul,  who  surrendered,  together  with  their  god 
Tohil,  the  Galel-achi  and  the  Ahpop-achi,  grandfather  and 
sun  of  the  keeper  of  the  royal  jewels,  the  die-cutter,  the 
treasurer,  the  secretary,  and  plebeians  without  number; 
and  all  were  put  to  the  sword.  Our  old  men  tell  us,  my 
children,  that  it  was  impossible  to  count  the  Quiches  who 
perished  that  day  at  the  hands  of  the  Cakchiquels.  Such 
were  the  heroic  deeds  with  which  the  kings  Oxlahuhtzi 
and  Cablahu-Tihax,  also  Roimox  and  Rokelbatzin,  made 
the  mountain  of  Iximche  forever  famous." 

After  this  defeat  the  Quiche  kings  appear  in  history 
only  as  names,  —  of  which  seven,  including  two  appointed 
by  the  Conquistadores,  complete  the  list.  Dull  as  was 
their  decline,  their  ending  was  brilliant ;  and  none  of  the 
people  of  Central  America  made  such  a  brave  struggle 
for  independence  as  this  grand  old  tribe. 

Other  nations  occupied  portions  of  Guatemala  ;  and 
before  we  follow  the  course  of  the  Cakchiquels  we  may 
consider  some  of  these.  In  Soconusco  were  several  bands 
of  Tultecs  who  had  left  the  Aztec  plateau,  and  in  course 
of  time  were  attacked  by  Olmecs  and  reduced  to  the  most 
abject  slavery.  At  last  this  became  unbearable,  and  by 
the  advice  of  their  priests  they  decided  to  emigrate  ;  and 
under  sacerdotal  guidance   they  journeyed  twenty  days 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  261 

along  the  Pacific  coast,  until  they  came  to  the  Rio  Micha- 
toya,  where  the  priest  who  had  led  them  sickened  and 
died.  The  delay  and  uncertainty  this  event  caused  re- 
sulted in  the  foundation  of  Itzcuintlan  (Escuintla)  by 
some  who  were  weary  of  the  journey.  The  greater  part 
went  on  twenty  leagues  farther  ;  and  here  came  another 
halt,  half  remaining  there  at  Cuscatlan  (San  Salvador) 
and  Xilopanco  (llopango),  while  the  others  went  on  to 
the  Gulf  of  Conchagua,  on  the  bounds  of  Honduras  and 
Nicaragua.  These  people  were  called  Cholutecas,  or 
Exiles,  and  their  descendants  Pipiles. 

The  Cakchiquels  soon  got  into  trouble  with  a  branch 
of  their  own  people,  —  the  Akahales,  who  occupied  the 
country  between  the  Volcan  de  Pacaya  and  the  Lago  de 
Izabal.  The  king  of  the  Akahales  was  Ychal-amoyac,  — 
a  brave  and  wealthy  man,  whose  capital,  Holum,  rivalled 
Tecpan  Quauhtemalan.  His  wealth  was  coveted  by  the 
victorious  Cakchiquels,  and  he  was  summoned  to  their 
court.  Warned  of  the  impending  fate,  he  obeyed  the 
summons,  accompanied  only  by  five  of  his  friends.  As 
they  entered  the  audience  chamber,  in  the  very  presence 
of  the  two  kings  the  unfortunate  Akahales  were  assassi- 
nated. Their  riches  were  seized,  and  their  towns  quietly 
incorporated  into  the  Cakchiquel  kingdom. 

Although  the  Akahales  seem  to  have  submitted  with- 
out fighting,  some  of  the  neighboring  tribes  saw  with 
concern  this  lawless  act  of  the  powerful  kings  of  Tecpan, 
and  felt  that  their  turn  might  come  next.  Wookaok, 
king  of  the  Atziquinihayi,  whose  country  bordered  on  the 
Lago  de  Atitlan,  and  Belehe-Gih,  a  mountain  cacique  on 
the  borders  of  Quiche,  became  leaders  ;  and  the  former 
intrenched  himself  in  a  strong  fortress  which  the  Cak- 


1>G2  GUATEMALA. 

chiquels  besieged  for  fifteen  days,  and  on  its  fall  they  put 
to  the  sword  the  entire  garrison. 

Now  the  Cakchiquels  were  by  far  the  most  important 
of  the  ruling  tribes  of  Central  America,  and  it  was  near 
the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The  white  men  had 
already  landed  on  the  coast  of  America,  and  the  history 
of  the  tribes  was  hastening  to  a  close.  Insurrections 
here,  treasons  and  plots  there,  make  the  substance  of 
what  there  is  to  tell.  The  attempt  of  Cay-Hunahpu  to 
incite  rebellion  shook  the  kingdom,  but  failed  in  the  end. 
Revolutions  gradually  loosed  the  feudal  chains  that  bound 
the  subject  tribes,  and  several  of  them  proclaimed  their 
independence.  Chief  among  these  were  the  Sacatepequez, 
who  chose  a  king  from  their  own  tribe  with  the  title 
Achi-Calel,  and  the  capital  of  their  kingdom  was  Yampuk  ; 
only  three  kings  reigned,  until  the  Conquest.  The  Po- 
komans  from  Cuscatlan  came  to  Sacatepequez  seeking 
land,  and  they  were  well  provided  with  lands  and  settle- 
ments by  the  Sacatepequez,  that  they  might  not  ally 
themselves  with  the  hated  Cakchiquels. 

In  1510  the  king  of  the  Cakchiquels,  Oxlahuhtzi,  died, 
and  the  next  year  his  colleague,  Cablahu-Tihax,  died 
also  ;  and  Hunig  and  Lahuh  Noh  succeeded  their  fathers. 
Their  reign  was  remarkable  for  an  embassy  sent  by 
Montezuma  to  the  kings  of  Central  America.  What  the 
object  of  the  Mexicans  may  have  been,  the  Chronicles  do 
not  explain.  Fuentes  supposes  that  not  Montezuma,  but 
the  eighth  Mexican  king;  Ahuitzotl  was  the  one  who  tried 
to  communicate  with  his  southern  neighbors.  Certainly 
this  king  carried  his  arms  as  far  as  Nicaragua  along  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  but  there  is  no  proof  that  he 
ever  penetrated  the    interior  of  Guatemala.     Whatever 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  263 

the  ambassadors  wanted,  whether  conquest  or  an  alli- 
ance against  the  coming  invaders,  they  met  with  poor 
success.  At  Utatlan  the  Quiche  king  refused  to  listen 
to  them,  on  the  excuse  that  he  could  not  understand 
what  they  said.  They  went  thence  to  Tecpan,  where 
they  found  a  better  reception ;  but  we  do  not  hear  that 
they  made  any  treaty.  When  they  came  to  the  chiefs  of 
Atitlan  they  were  driven  away  by  arrow-shots  ;  and  they 
retreated  to  Utatlan,  when  the  king  warned  them  to 
leave  his  capital  that  very  day,  and  the  country  within 
twenty  suns.  This  is  the  only  record  we  have  of  any 
communication  between  Mexico  and  Guatemala  before 
the  famous  march  of  Cortez. 

In  Utatlan  Vahxaki-Caam  and  Quicab  were  kings  when 
a  Cakchiquel  wizard,  who  some  say  was  the  king's  son, 
came  by  night  to  the  palaces  of  Utatlan  and  yelled  and 
shouted  so  that  the  poor  kings  could  not  sleep  ;  and  as 
bootjacks  were  not  yet  invented,  they  had  to  listen  to 
this  ancient  tomcat,  who,  when  they  put  their  heads  out 
of  the  window,  called  them  mama-caixon  and  other  dread- 
fully opprobrious  epithets.  Next  day  the  king  called 
together  all  his  wizards  and  offered  large  rewards  for  the 
capture  of  the  nocturnal  enemy.  A  Quiche  wizard  under- 
took the  task,  and  chased  the  foreigner  a  long  time,  both 
jumping  from  mountain  to  mountain.  At  last  he  cap- 
tured the  Cakchiquel  and  brought  him  before  the  royalty 
he  had  insulted.  When  asked  if  he  had  made  the  horrid 
noises  at  night,  he  replied  that  he  had.  "  Then,"  said  the 
king,  "  you  shall  see  what  a  festival  we  will  make  with 
you."  Then  the  nobles  began  a  war-dance  to  celebrate 
the  capture  of  that  wizard,  and  transforming  themselves 
into  eagles,   lions,  and  tigers,  they  danced  around  and 


2G4  GUATEMALA. 

clawed  the  poor  Indio.  All  things  being  ready  for  his 
execution,  he  turned  to  the  king  and  all  the  others, 
crying,  "  Wait  a  bit,  until  you  hear  what  I  wish  to  say 
to  you.  Know  that  the  time  is  at  hand  when  you  will 
despair  at  the  calamities  which  are  to  come  upon  you, 
and  that  mama-caixon  must  die  ;  and  know  that  some 
men  clothed  —  not  naked  like  you  —  from  head  to  foot, 
and  armed,  men  terrible  and  cruel,  sons  of  Teja,  will 
come,  perhaps  to-morrow,  perhaps  the  next  day,  and  will 
destroy  all  these  palaces,  and  will  make  them  dwellings 
for  the  owls  and  wildcats,  and  all  the  grandeur  of  this 
court  shall  pass  away."  When  he  had  spoken  they  sac- 
rificed him,  and  paid  little  attention  to  his  prophecy. 
Warring  here  and  there,  suffering  defeat  seldom,  but 
troubled  with  diseases  and  epidemics,  a  plague  came  at 
last  which  nearly  depopulated  the  city  of  Tecpan,  and 
was  especially  fatal  among  the  nobility,  both  kings 
dying.  So  great  was  the  mortality  that  there  was  not 
time  to  bury  the  dead,  and  they  were  often  left  to 
the  vultures. 

When  this  scourge  had  passed,  Achi-Balam  and  Belehe- 
Qat  were  called  to  the  throne,  and  during  their  reign  came 
the  news  of  the  terrible  work  of  the  Spaniards  in  Mexico. 
These  young  kings  decided  to  send  an  embassy  to  the 
mighty  chief  of  the  invaders,  begging  his  protection  and 
aid  against  their  enemies.  We  have  to-day  the  letter  of 
Cortez  to  Charles  V.,  dated  in  Mexico,  Oct.  15,  1524,  de- 
scribing this  embassy  of  Guatemalans  to  surrender  their 
country  and  countrymen  to  the  foreign  devils  who  had 
destroyed  their  neighbors  beyond  the  forests  of  the 
North.  One  almost  feels  that  these  wretched  Cakchi- 
quels    deserved    the  miseries   they  brought   upon    them- 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  265 

selves.  Whether  by  any  combination  the  tribes  of 
Central  America  could  have  resisted  the  invaders,  as 
did  the  Lacandones,  no  man  can  say.  Probably  their 
time  had  come,  and  no  human  or  divine  influence  could 
change  the  event ;  but  it  is  sad  to  see  these  many  tribes, 
while  the  storm  was  gathering  over  their  devoted  heads, 
fighting  among  themselves  in  the  most  headstrong  way  : 
and  so  they  fought  until  the  coming  of  Pedro  Alvarado. 
Guatemala  held  three  hostile  camps,  —  the  Quiches  at 
Utatlan ;  the  Cakchiquels  at  Iximche  or  Tecpan  Quauhte- 
malan  ;    and  the  Tzutohiles  at  Atitlan. 

December  6,  1523,  the  greatest  general  and  most  trusted 
friend  of  Cortez,  Pedro  de  Alvarado,  departed  from  the 
City  of  Mexico  at  the  head  of  three  hundred  infantry  (of 
whom  one  hundred  and  thirty  were  archers  and  gunners), 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty  cavalry.  He  took  four  small 
cannon,  in  which  were  used  stone  balls,  forty  reserve 
horses,  and  his  native  allies  were  two  hundred  Tlaxcal- 
tecas  and  one  hundred  Mexicans,  besides  a  large  number 
of  tlamenes  to  carry  the  baggage.  With  this  warlike  array 
went  two  ministers  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  Juan  Godinez 
and  Juan  Diaz.  The  conquest  of  Guatemala  was  the  end 
to  be  attained. 

Alvarado  marched  south  to  Soconusco,  and  here  met  his 
first  opponents.  Unlike  the  contemptible  Cakchiquels, 
the  brave  Quiches  would  make  no  terms  with  the  invaders 
of  their  country,  and  as  the  Spaniards  approached  they 
hastened  to  join  the  men  of  Soconusco,  and  near  Tonala 
fought  their  first  battle  with  the  white  men.  The  Indies 
were  utterly  routed  ;  but  they  fell  back  and  made  prepara- 
tions for  a  greater  struggle.  Oxib-Queh  was  then  Ahau- 
Ahpop  of  the  Quiches,  and  his  fellow-king  or  Ahpop-Camha 


266  GUATEMALA. 

was  Beleheb-Tzi ;  Tecum-Umam  and  Tepepul  were  the 
other  principal  chiefs.  Tecum,  as  commander-in-chief  of 
the  army,  designated  Chuvi-Megena  (Totonicapan)  as  the 
rendezvous  of  the  Quiche  forces.  His  army  was  immense 
(the  annalists  make  it  equal  to  the  enrolled  army  of  Ger- 
many !) ;  but  no  one  knows  the  exact  number  of  naked 
soldiers  he  brought  together. 

After  the  victory  at  Tonala,  Alvarado  marched  inland 
towards  Zapotitlan,  the  capital  of  Suchitepequez  ;  and  as 
he  approached  the  city,  sent  some  spies  he  had  captured 
in  the  mountains  with  friendly  messages  to  their  chiefs. 
No  answer,  either  good  or  bad,  was  returned,  but  a  battle 
was  fought  on  the  Rio  Tilapa,  and  again  the  Spaniards 
were  victorious.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Zapotitlan 
called  from  a  distance  to  the  invaders  and  invited  them  to 
come  into  the  city ;  but  Alvarado  preferred  to  choose  his 
own  time,  and  the  Indios  again  attacked  him.  Desperately 
fighting,  they  were  constantly  driven  back,  and  the  in- 
vaders trampled  over  their  bodies  even  through  the  streets 
of  the  city  and  for  half  a  league  beyond,  where  the  battle 
ended  ;  and  Alvarado  returned  to  the  city  and  camped  in 
the  market-place.  More  like  hungry  locusts  than  human 
beings,  these  land-pirates  went  on  destroying  army  after 
army  in  a  way  that  is  painful  to  read  about.  On  the 
plains  of  the  River  Olintepec  so  great  was  the  slaughter 
of  the  Indios  that  the  stream  was  colored  for  days  with 
their  blood.  The  loss  of  the  Spaniards  was  only  a  few 
men  and  horses  wounded. 

Tzakaha  was  occupied  without  resistance,  and  the  Mex- 
ican allies  changed  the  name  to  Quezaltenango.  Under 
a  canopy  of  branches  the  ambassadors  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace  offered  sacrifice  to  the  god  of  battles.     Here  at  the 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  267 

first  mass  celebrated  in  Guatemala  these  blood-stained 
murderers  knelt.  No  wonder  that  the  priests  have  in  their 
turn  been  driven  from  the  country ! 

Xelahuh  was  found  deserted,  and  here  Alvarado  rested 
three  days  to  remove  the  rusting  blood  from  his  arms. 
Then  came  the  news  that  another  Quiche  army  (Alvarado 
writes  to  Cortez  that  it  was  composed  of  twelve  thousand 
men  from  Utatlan  and  countless  numbers  from  the  neigh- 
boring towns)  was  approaching ;  and  the  Spaniards 
marched  out  to  meet  them  on  the  magnificent  plain  be- 
tween Quezaltenango  and  Totonicapan.  This  was  the 
decisive  battle,  and  marvellous  are  the  Indian  legends 
gathering  around  it.  Over  the  head  of  Tecum,  the  Quiche 
commander,  hovered  a  gigantic  quetzal  (the  nagual  of  the 
chief),  who  savagely  attacked  the  Spanish  general.  At 
last  the  Spanish  lance  killed  the  bird,  and  at  the  same 
moment  the  unfortunate  Tecum  fell  lifeless  at  the  feet  of 
the  Conquistador. 

In  his  report  to  Cortez,  Alvarado  writes  :  "  That  day  I 
killed  and  captured  many  people,  many  of  them  captains 
and  persons  of  rank." 

All  the  prisoners  taken  in  this  war  (both  men  and 
women)  were  branded  on  the  cheek  and  thigh  and  sold 
as  slaves  at  public  auction,  a  fifth  of  their  price  belonging 
to  the  King  of  Spain. 

The  last  army  of  the  noble  Quiches  being  destroyed,  and 
their  utmost  efforts  being  unavailing  to  turn  aside  the  de- 
stroyers of  their  country,  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  the 
terror  in  Utatlan  or  the  hurried  counsels  of  the  two  kings. 
In  desperation  they  decided  to  sacrifice  their  city,  if  they 
might  destroy  at  the  same  time  these  invincible  Spaniards. 
The  enemy  was  to  be  lured  within  the  walls,  and  the  only 


268  GUATEMALA. 

two  means  of  entrance  closed,  and  then  the  thatched  and 
wooden  roofs  were  to  be  fired,  and  so  the  imprisoned 
enemy  destroyed.  It  was  an  effective  plan,  and  might 
have  been  successful  with  a  less  wary  general  than  Alva- 
rado.  He  discovered  the  plot  after  he  had  entered  Utatlan  ; 
but  feigning  friendship,  he  managed  to  get  out  of  the  city 
on  the  plea  that  his  horses  could  not  bear  the  paved 
streets,  and  the  next  morning  begged  the  honor  of  a  visit 
from  the  two  kings.  Oxib-Queh  and  Beleheb-Tzi  came 
with  a  considerable  retinue  of  nobles,  and  Alvarado  re- 
ceived them  with  pretended  friendship.  When  all  the 
preparations  were  made,  a  party  of  soldiers  loaded  the 
guests  with  chains,  and  then  their  host  bitterly  reproached 
them  (the  poor  heathen)  for  their  plot.  By  a  court-mar- 
tial they  were  condemned  to  be  burned  alive.  This  hor- 
rible sentence  was  carried  out,  and  during  Holy  Week, 
April,  1524,  the  last  legitimate  sovereigns  of  the  most 
powerful  nation  in  Central  America  perished  in  the  flames. 
Bishop  Marroquin  named  the  city  that  succeeded  Utatlan, 
Santa  Cruz  (holy  cross),  because  the  Indian  capital  was 
captured  on  Good  Friday  ! 

Alvarado  wrote  to  Cortez :  "  That  I  might  bring  them 
to  the  service  of  His  Majesty,  I  determined  to  burn 
the  lords ;  .  .  .  and  for  the  well-being  and  peace  of  this 
land  I  burned  them  (yo  los  quemS),  and  commanded 
their  city  to  be  burned  and  razed  to  its  foundations." 

The  scattered  Quiches,  driven  to  fury  by  the  awful 
death  of  their  beloved  monarchs,  fought  to  the  death ; 
and  Alvarado  was  obliged  to  despatch  messengers  to. 
Iximche  to  demand  aid  from  his  Cakchiquel  allies,  who 
hastened  to  send  four  thousand  warriors  to  crush  the 
bleeding  remains  of  their  ancient  rivals. 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  269 

The  reception  of  the  Spaniards  at  Iximche,  the  fights 
with  the  Tzutohiles,  and  the  destruction  of  Atitlan, 
seem  tame  enough  after  the  martyrdom  of  the  Quiches, 
the  sole  defenders  of  their  country.  Henceforth  the 
rebellions  and  battles  are  only  outbursts  against  indi- 
vidual oppression.  Many  tribes  followed  the  Cakchiquel 
example,  and  submitted  without  a  struggle.  Itzcuintlan 
(Escuintla)  refused ;  but  the  Spaniards  entered  the  city 
on  a  stormy  night  and  murdered  most  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. Alvaraclo  inarched  to  San  Salvador  in  spite  of 
considerable  unorganized  opposition,  and  returned  to 
Iximche,  where  he  founded  on  the  25th  of  July  the 
capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Guatemala,  claiming  as 
patron  Santiago  (Saint  James)  of  Spain.  This  was 
afterwards  removed  to  Almolonga  (Ciudad  Vieja). 

While  in  Iximche,  Alvarado  showed  his  foolish  Indian 
allies  what  his  true  character  was.  One  of  the  chiefs 
of  the  Cakchiquels  had  just  espoused  the  beautiful  prin- 
cess Xuchil ;  but  the  lustful  eye  of  the  Conquistador 
had  fallen  on  her,  and  he  sent  for  her  on  the  pretext 
that  he  wished  to  consult  her  about  the  people  to  the 
southward  whom  he  intended  to  subdue.  The  husband 
in  well-grounded  alarm  begged  the  general,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  to  return  his  beloved  wife,  offering  with  his 
petition  a  rich  present  of  gold  and  ornaments.  "  But 
the  proud  and  hard-hearted  Spanish  knight,  who  thought 
he  did  honor  by  his  passion  for  the  bride  of  a  Cak- 
chiquel prince,  as  he  had  done  in  Mexico  with  the 
daughter  of  one  of  the  lords  of  Tlaxcala,  accepted  the 
present,  but  refused  with  disdain  the  prince's  petition." 
Again  Alvarado  called  upon  the  kings  of  Iximche,  Bel- 
ehe-Qat   and  Cahi-Ymox,  to  bring  him  all  the  gold  and 


^70  GUATEMALA. 

silver  they  possessed,  even  to  the  royal  insignia ;  and  to 
emphasize  his  demand  he  snatched  from  the  wretched 
kings  their  earrings,  so  that  they  shed  tears  at  the 
physical  pain.  "If  within  five  days  all  your  gold  is 
not  here,  woe  be  unto  you!  I  know  well  my  heart!" 
The  kings,  advised  by  a  native  priest,  decided  to  leave 
the  city  with  their  wives  and  children,  and  they  reso- 
lutely refused  to  return  when  Alvarado  sent  friendly 
messages  and  promises  to  them.  Then  the  Spaniards 
began  a  war  of  extermination  and  slavery  against 
the  Cakchiquels,  and  the  Quiches  and  Tzutohiles  now 
took  the  side  of  the  invaders  against  their  hereditary 
enemies.  All  this  destruction  and  misery  had  come 
upon  Guatemala  in  one  year,  1524.  When  the  tribes 
were  conquered,  one  by  one,  their  sufferings  only  com- 
menced ;  for  so  terrible  was  the  slavery  to  which  the 
Indian  population  of  Guatemala  was  reduced  that  death 
was  welcomed  by  the  sufferers,  and  the  Quiche  nobles 
refused  to  rear  children  to  serve  their  conquerors. 

I  do  not  care  to  follow  the  history  of  Guatemala 
under  Spanish  rule  ;  it  would  be  no  pleasure  excursion 
through  the  sloughs  of  deceit  and  over  mountains  of 
tyranny.  Priests  and  soldiers  vied  with  each  other  in 
iniquity ;  and  the  Indios,  then  as  now,  seem  to  have 
been  the  most  moral  part  of   the  population. 

In  closing  this  long  chapter  on  the  early  people  of 
the  kingdom,  I  would  call  the  attention  of  my  readers 
to  the  present  Indians  of  Guatemala  and  their  rela- 
tionship, according  to  Dr.  Otto  Stoll.  This  learned 
ethnologist  classifies  the  Indios  mainly  by  language 
rather   than   by   physical  data,  and  I  am  myself   seep- 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  271 

tical  of  the  value  of  linguistic  distinctions.  I  know 
Bengalis  who  speak  English  most  perfectly,  and  I  can 
well  imagine  their  losing  their  mother-tongue  from 
disuse  or  disassociation  with  their  brethren;  but  the 
Bengali  does  not  thus  become  an  Anglo-Saxon.  I  be- 
lieve very  little  stress  should  be  put  on  lingual  rela- 
tionships ;  and  also  do  I  protest  against  any  system  of 
classification  founded  on  the  cranium  alone  :  the  whole 
body,  outer  integuments  as  well  as  osseous  frame,  must 
be  called  in  witness ;  and  one  day  perhaps  the  study  of 
human  proportions  and  physical  peculiarities  will  result 
in  a  classification  in  which  language  plays  no  part,  or 
at  least  a  very  subsidiary  one.  In  the  mean  time  let 
us  take  the  chart  of  the  Swiss  professor  as  the  best 
thing  we  have  at  present.  The  nineteen  tribes  or  fam- 
ilies Dr.  Stoll  names  as  follows,  and  their  location 
is  indicated  by  the  numbers  on  the  chart :  — 

1.  Mam.  6.  Quekchi.  11.  Cakchiquel.  16.  Chorti. 

2.  Ixil.  7.  Choi.  12.  Pipil.  17.  Alaguilae. 

3.  Aguacateca.      8.  Mopan.  13.  Sinca.  18.  Maya. 

4.  Uspanteca.  9.  Quiche.  14.  Pupuluca.  19.  Carib. 

5.  Poconchi.  10.  Tzutohil.  15.  Pokomam. 

Of  the  Aztec  stem,  only  the  Pipiles  (12)  are  found  in 
Guatemala.  They  are  probably  the  descendants  of  the 
Tultecs,  who  were  subdued  by  the  Olmecs.  Of  the  Mije 
stem  are  the  small  tribe  of  Pupulucas  (14).  The  Carib- 
bean stem  is  represented  on  the  coast  by  the  Caribs  (19)  ; 
and  of  these  so  many  differing  accounts  have  been  given 
that  I  am  tempted  to  give  a  fuller  description. 

When  the  West  Indies  were  discovered,  they  were  peo- 
pled by  several  races  ;  but  among  them  none  were  so  formi- 
dable as  the  inhabitants  of  the  southern  islands  of  that 


•rn 


GUATEMALA. 


sea,  now  called,  from  their  supposed  name,  Caribbean.  The 
Caribs  dwelt  also  in  the  valley  of  the  Orinoco  ;  but  seldom 
chose  their  home  far  from  the  sea.  They  were  understood 
to  have  the  habit  of  eating  their  fellow-men  ;  and  it  is  from 

a  corruption  of  Caribal 
that  we  have  the  oppro- 
brious term  "  cannibal." 
Whether  they  did  limit 
their  diet  to  the  orthodox 
fare  or  not,  is  by  no  means 
clear ;  for  the  Spanish  con- 
querors did  not  scruple  to 
indict,  condemn,  and  put 
to  death  the  innocent  na- 
tives who  opposed  them, 
—  and  no  stouter  oppo- 
nents than  the  Caribs  did 
they  find.  Two  distinct 
tribes  are  generally  in- 
cluded under  the  name,  — 
the  black  Caribs,  and  the 
yellow:  the  latter  with 
straight  black  hair;  but 
the  former  are  no  doubt 
the  mixed  breed  of  the  true 
Carib  (who  was  generally 
at  war  with  the  European 
intruder)  and  the  African  slaves  who  escaped  to  the  pro- 
tection of  the  aborigines  from  their  tyrannical  masters. 
In  1796  England  removed  these  troublesome  people  from 
St.  Vincent  to  Roatan,  —  one  of  the  Bay  Islands  off  the 
coast  of  Honduras,  whence  they  gradually  emigrated  to 


Carib   Woman. 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME.  273 

the  mainland;    and  now  their  villages   are  found  from 
Belize  to  Cape  Gracios  a  Dios. 

All  along  this  coast  they  are  of  distinct  and  uniform 
character,  to  the  casual  observer  differing  little  from  the 
negro  type ;  of  good  stature,  firm,  muscular  build,  and 
powerful  limbs,  —  women  as  well  as  men.  To  one  who 
is  used  to  study  the  physical  character  of  men,  the  out- 
ward resemblance  to  the  negro  is  less  marked.  The  hair 
is  woolly ;  but  the  nose  is  less  flattened,  the  mouth  not  so 
wide,  nor  are  the  lips  so  thick.  The  shoulders  are  broad, 
but  so  are  the  hips  ;  and  the  narrow  pelvis  of  the  African 
is  generally  wanting.  The  fingers  have  large  joints,  and 
from  the  last  all  the  fingers,  but  especially  the  thumb, 
taper  sharply  to  the  end.  The  heel  is  not  so  projecting, 
and  the  feet  are  very  broad.  Other  differences  are  of 
interest  to  the  student  of  the  human  form  rather  than  to 
the  public. 

Almost  all  speak  some  English,  —  seldom  using  the 
baby-talk  of  the  negro,  but  not  always  conforming  to  the 
correct  idiom ;  more  familiar  still  with  Spanish,  they 
always  use  their  own  language  in  conversation  with  each 
other.  Several  grammars  and  vocabularies  of  the  dialects 
spoken  by  these  islanders  and  by  their  namesakes  in 
South  America  have  been  published  (as  may  be  seen  in 
the  list  of  books  given  in  the  Appendix),  but  I  have  not 
studied  this  language  enough  to  learn  the  difference,  if 
any,  between  the  speech  of  the  yellow  and  the  black  tribes. 
The  Caribbee  has  a  disagreeable  sound,  —  perhaps  by  con- 
trast to  the  Spanish ;  but  the  syllables  her  and  bub  are 
frequent,  and  the  enunciation  is  exceedingly  rapid,  mak- 
ing it  very  difficult  for  an  alien  to  catch  the  words.     Add 

to  this  the  curious  fact  that  the  men  and  women  speak 

is 


274  GUATEMALA. 

a  distinct  language,  and  the  obstacles  a  learner  meets  are 
important.  To  illustrate,  here  are  a  few  of  the  man 
and  woman  words  :  — 

Man.  Woman. 

Father yumaan  nucuxili 

Mother ixanum  nucuxum 

Son macu,  imulu  nirajo 

Daughter niananti  nirajo 

House tubana  tujonoco 

Earth nonum  cati 

Brother ibuguia  (?) 

The  traveller  becomes  familiar  with  such  expressions  as 
Igarybai,  "  let  it  alone  ;  "  Buraba  duna  nu,  "  bring  me 
water ;  "  Kimoi,  "  let  us  go  ;  "  Fagai,  "  paddle  ;  "  Mawer, 
"  0  Lord  !  "  Ih  hj,  "  I  don't  know,"  —  pronounced  with  a 
contemptuous  nasal  twang  that  would  outdo  the  veriest 
Yankee. 

Talkative  beyond  measure,  it  is  difficult  to  quiet 
them  in  camp  at  night,  unless  they  have  had  a  hard 
day's  work.  Good-natured  when  well  treated,  they 
have  a  very  good  opinion  of  themselves,  and  their  self- 
love  is  easily  disturbed.  Superstitious  to  an  extreme, 
they  are  not  in  public  very  religious ;  but  there  are 
strange  stories  told  of  human  sacrifices  in  which  a  child 
was  the  victim.  I  have  noticed  that  they  put  a  rude 
cross  on  the  window  and  door  openings  of  an  unfinished 
house  to  keep  out  the  devils.  When  becalmed  in  a  dory 
with  Caribs,  I  have  often  heard  the  prayer :  — 

"  Sopla,  San  Antonio,  barba  de  oro  cacliimbade  plata! 
Blow,  Saint  Antony,  with  golden  heard  and  silver  pipe  !  " 

And  if  the  saint  did  not  blow  when  asked  repeat- 
edly,   the    next    proceeding   was    to    make    a    cross    of 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME. 


275 


sticks  and  tow  it  astern ;  this  last  performance,  like 
reading  the  Lord's  Prayer  backwards,  usually  raised 
a  breeze.  The  worship  of  Mafia  (the  devil)  I  believe 
is  general ;  but  they  do  not  like  to  talk  about  it.  Caribs 
are  less  musical  than  any  of  the  black  races  I  have 
met ;  but  they  are  fond  of  noisy  drums,  and  will  dance 
until  utterly  exhausted.  Some  of  their  dances  last  two 
days. 


Indian   Women,    Pocomam   Tribe. 


Of  all  the  languages  of  Central  America,  no  one  has 
been  more  studied  than  the  Maya.  It  is  the  language  of 
Yucatan,  and  there  many  foreigners  both  speak  and  read 
it.  In  Guatemala  it  is  the  parent  tongue  of  the  great 
majority  of  the  tribes,  including  the  Quiches,  Cakchiquels, 


276 


GUATEMALA. 


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IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME. 


277 


and  Tzutohiles,  —  those  long-time  enemies.  The  reader 
may  see  by  the  table  of  words  I  borrow  from  Dr.  Berendt 
the  similarity  of  certain  common  words  in  sixteen  of 
these  dialects. 

The  Lacandones,  those  unconquered  Indios  of  the  Usu- 
macinta,  speak  a  dialect  cognate  with  that  spoken  in 
Yucatan,  Campeche,  and  the  sacred  island  Cozumel ;  and 
what  gives  additional  interest  to  the  Maya  language  is  the 
fact  that  all  the  inscribed  monuments  of  Tikal,  Copan, 
Quirigua,  and  Usumacinta  belong  to  this  race,  and  if 
interpreted,  this  is  probably  the  key. 

The  Quekchi  language  (6)  is  spoken  by  the  Indios  of 
Coban  Cahabon,  Senaju,  and  adjoining  parts  of  Alta 
Verapaz,  while  close  at  hand  (San  Cristobal,  Tactic,  Tu- 
curu,  La  Tinta,  and  Teleman)  we  have  the  Poconchi  form. 
Externally  both  tribes  are  alike,  although  the  Quekchis 
perhaps  dress  rather  better. 

The  extant  literature  of  the  Quiches  has  been  freely 
consulted  in  the  preparation  of  this  chapter.  Would  my 
readers  like  to  see  what  the  original  language  of  the 
"  Popul  Vuh  "  is  like  ? 


Are  u  xe  oher  tzih  varal  Quichbe 
u  bi. 

Varal  xchekatzibah,  xchikatiqiba 
vi  oher  tzih,  u  tiqaribal,  u  xeuabal 
pueh  ronohel  xban  pa  'tinamit 
Quiche,  r'amag  Quiche  vinak. 


This  is  the  beginning  of  the  story 
of  those  who  were  formerly  in  the 
land  that  is  called  Quiche. 

There  begins  and  commences 
the  knowledge  of  the  earlier  time, 
the  origin  and  beginning  of  all 
done  in  the  Quiche  state  in  the 
home  of  Quiche  men. 


Uspantan  has  a  little  dialect  all  to  itself  (4).  Of 
the  Cakchiquel  language  we  have  a  most  interest- 
ing remnant  in  the  "  Cakchiquel   Manuscript,"  next  in 


278  GUATEMALA. 

importance  to  the  "  Popul  Vuli."  In  it  the  account 
of  the  creation  is  copied,  as  was  natural,  from  the 
Quiche  narrative;  but  the  main  portion  of  the  work  is 
a  history  of  the  revolution  which  led  to  the  departure 
from  Utatlan  and  the  occupation  of  Iximche,  and  also 
of  the  advent  of  the  Spaniards  and  the  subsequent  events 
until  the  establishment  of  Christianity  as  the  State  re- 
ligion. The  author  was  the  grandson  of  the  king  who 
died  of  the  pest  in  1519 ;  and  his  story  goes  to  the 
year  1582,  when  another  member  of  the  same  family 
continues  it  to  1597. 

The  Tzutohiles  (10),  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  were 
a  fighting  tribe  on  the  shores  of  the  Lago  de  Atitlan, 
are  still  of  the  same  spirit ;  and  when  Mr.  Maudslay 
attempted  to  photograph  them,  the  women  shook  their 
fists  in  his  face.  The  unwillingness  to  be  photographed 
I  also  found  among  the  Quiche  women  (old  ones)  of 
Sacapulas ;  but  a  word  from  the  comandante  subdued 
their  opposition. 

The  Ixils  (1)  dwell  in  the  Sierras  west  of  Coban, 
and  the  Mames  (2)  are  found  at  San  Marcos,  Chi- 
antla,  and  Huehuetenango,  all  westward  to  Soconusco 
and  south  to  Ocos.  The  Aguacateca  (3)  occupies  a  small 
space  north  of  Utatlan,  and  the  vocabulary  given  by 
Stoll  differs  entirely  from  that  of  Dr.  Berendt's  already 
quoted.  Chorti  (16)  is  spoken  at  Chiquimula  and  Za- 
capa,  and  in  the  opinion  of  some  is  the  language  of 
the  sculptors  of  the  glyphs  at  Copan.  Sinca  (13)  and 
Alaguilac  (17)  are  almost  unknown,  and  Stoll  cannot 
classify  them. 

The  personality  of  these  tribes  is  wholly  absent  from 
Dr.    Stoll's    learned    treatise ;    and   my   own   knowledge 


IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME. 


279 


of  their  appearance  and  way  of  thought  is  too  lim- 
ited to  lead  me  to  venture  to  fill  the  void.  I  have 
noticed    what    every    one    else    speaks    of,  —  the    sober 


Mozos  de   Cargo,    Quicho. 


bearing  of  the  Guatemaltecan  Indios ;  but  I  have  of- 
ten seen  the  face  of  my  mozo  de  cargo  brighten  as 
I  greeted  him,  and  I  have  been  even  led  to  think  that 
his  mourning  expression  is  worn  much  as  civilized  ladies 


280 

wear  their  black, 


GUATEMALA. 

to  save  themselves    trouble.      It  is 


laid  aside  in  the  family,  or  with  a  friend  they  can  trust. 
Many  of  the  men  are  well  formed,  although  small,  and 
their  faces  are  often  very  attractive.  I  believe  them  to 
be  neater  in  their  persons  and  garb  than  the  ladino 
population. 


Carved   stone  Seat  (Museo   Nacional). 


CHAPTER   X. 


THE    EEPUBLIC    OF    GUATEMALA. 


FOR  almost  three  centuries  Spain  governed  Central 
America  (1524-1821)  by  the  Audiencia  Real.  Every 
act  of  oppression  that  could  be  exercised  upon  the  Indios 
was  invented  by  the  foreign  rulers,  and  the  native  popu- 
lation was  greatly  reduced  by  this  mismanagement ;  but 
such  a  course  always  re- 
acts most  terribly  upon 
the  perpetrators.  The 
thirst  for  wealth  that 
brought  the  foreigners 
to  these  shores  pursued 
them  still,  and  the  brave 
resistance  to  wrongs  un- 
limited, that  the  Span- 
iards themselves  chron- 
icle, does  not  seem  to 
have  awakened  that  re- 
spect in  the  bosoms  of  the  Conquistadores  that  it  now 
rouses  in  the  heart  of  every  generous  student  of  the  past. 
The  Indios  were  lawful  prey,  it  was  "  spoiling  the  Egyp- 
tians ; "  and  although  Las  Casas  and  some  of  the  mission- 
aries tried  faithfully  to  protect  their  flock,  and  although 
the  King  of  Spain  made  decrees,  the  powers  of  evil 
seemed  to  have  their  own  way  in  this  distant  colony. 


Arms   of   Guatemala. 


282  GUATEMALA. 

We  cannot  but  admire  the  undoubted  courage  and  in- 
difference to  personal  hardship  exhibited  by  the  Conquis- 
tadores ;  but  that  must  not  blind  us  to  the  fact  that  they 
were  little  better  than  freebooters  in  their  treatment  of 
the  American  nations  they  subdued,  and  that  their  policy, 
so  far  as  they  had  any,  was  of  the  most  selfish  and  narrow 
kind.  Jealousy  of  other  nations,  especially  of  England, 
who  was  now  beginning  to  try  her  hand  in  ruling  the  sea, 
although  in  a  rather  irregular  way,  led  to  the  establish- 
ment of  all  the  important  cities  in  the  mountain  region 
of  the  interior,  where  they  might  well  escape  the  notice 
of  other  nations.  The  natural  walls  that  Nature  had 
provided  were  made  very  useful  to  their  utmost  extent ; 
the  ports  were  but  conveniences  to  help  the  invaders  to 
supplies  from  the  mother-country  and  afford  a  necessary 
means  for  the  exportation  of  their  ill-gotten  gains,  and 
general  commerce  was  discouraged  in  every  way.  The 
buccaneers  helped  to  discourage  the  growth  of  ports,  but 
the  Home  Government  did  quite  as  much  in  this  direction. 
The  atrocious  system  of  encomiendas,  by  which  the  native 
population  was  reduced  to  an  almost  hopeless  slavery,  was 
permitted,  if  not  encouraged,  by  the  Church,  and  no  attempt 
was  ever  made  to  develop  the  country  on  a  basis  of  im- 
provement in  the  Indian  population ;  and  the  animal, 
vegetable,  and  mineral  wealth  of  Guatemala  were  treated 
much  in  the  same  way,  —  a  prey  for  the  present  robber. 
The  Inclios  were  all  subdued,  except  the  Lacandones  far 
on  the  northern  frontier,  who  were  too  poor  to  pay  for  sub- 
jugation ;  and  the  iniquitous  policy  of  selfishness  began  to 
bear  fruit.  Unlimited  power  and  immunity  in  the  hands 
of  the  clergy  begot  intolerance.  The  shepherds  became 
the  wolves,  and  not  only  devoured  their  own  flocks,  but 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  283 

the  entire  country  as  well.  Monopolies,  corruption,  op- 
pression grew  like  true  tropical  vegetation,  until  the  air 
became  too  close  for  healthful  life  ;  and  then  came  the  fer- 
mentation. Uprisings  of  the  Indios  had  occurred  before  the 
death  of  Alvarado  (1541), — for  example,  the  brave  attempt 
of  the  Cacique  Lempira  in  Honduras  ;  but  these  rebellions 
were  all  crushed  by  the  iron  hand  of  the  Adelantado  and 
by  his  generals.  Now  came  the  low  murmur  of  a  rising 
tempest  over  the  land,  and  the  winds  were  blowing  from 
a  different  quarter  of  the  heavens.  Now  the  ruling  caste 
was  uneasy,  and  it  was  about  to  reap  the  inevitable  har- 
vest of  the  wind  it  had  sowed. 

Not  in  the  province  of  Guatemala,  not  at  the  seat  of 
the  Audiencia  Real,  but  on  that  disturbed  strip  of  land 
along  the  Pacific  coast  of  Nicaragua  and  San  Salvador, 
where  earthquakes  are  on  the  most  terrific  scale,  and 
volcanic  vents  bristle  threateningly,  appeared  the  first 
forcible  remonstrances  against  this  aged  and  encrusted 
tyranny.  In  1811  there  were  risings,  little  pronuncia- 
mentos ;  but  there  was  no  combination  to  insure  success. 
The  false  system  of  government  taught  a  distrust  of 
others  ;  selfishness  permeated  individual  character  as  well 
as  the  nation  at  large ;  and  no  man  could  put  confidence 
in  his  neighbor.  No  leader  appeared  to  unite  the  dis- 
cordant elements,  the  evolution  of  a  free  state  was  very 
slow,  and  at  last  was  as  much  owing  to  the  supine- 
ness  of  Spain  as  to  any  forceful  act  on  the  part  of  the 
provinces.  We  have  here  no  war  of  freedom,  no  Wash- 
ington, no  Bolivar.  Sporadic  murmurs  were  heard  now 
and  again ;  they  came  to  the  ears  of  the  people  and  set  a 
few  men  to  thinking ;  the  number  of  these  thinkers  grew, 
until  in   1821  the  then  representative  of  Spain,  Gavino 


284  GUATEMALA. 

Gainza,  joined  the  rebels,  —  much  as  a  disappointed  politi- 
cian of  the  present  day  leaves  his  party  for  the  camp  of  its 
opponents,  —  and  independence  was  solemnly  proclaimed, 
September  15,  in  Guatemala.  Spain  seems  to  have 
acquiesced  in  an  act  which  deprived  her  of  her  fair 
American  colonies ;  but  it  may  be  supposed  that  her 
mismanagement  had  left  little  value  in  the  possession. 

Three  centuries  of  abasement  had  been  a  most  inoppor- 
tune school  for  the  freedom  of  a  republic,  and  one  cannot 
be  surprised  that  the  change  was  no  easy  one,  or  that  the 
results  have  not,  even  after  two  generations,  been  all  that 
the  patriots  among  these  first  rebels  may  have  wished. 
Subjectively,  "Be  thou  fed"  is  very  easy;  but  objectively 
the  result  seldom  meets  the  command.  Slavery  was  abol- 
ished forty  years  before  the  great  Republic  of  the  North 
dared  to  do  that  right ;  but  this  eminently  proper  step 
was  very  embarrassing,  for  not  only  were  there  no  means 
left  for  the  forced  repair  of  roads,  bridges,  and  other 
means  of  intercourse,  that  in  a  tropical  country  need 
constant  vigilance,  but  the  commerce  between  town  and 
town  fell  off,  and  the  little  traffic  that  had  led  a  struggling 
existence  for  some  years  with  Spain  and  other  European 
countries  now  died  out  entirely,  and  the  revenues  of  the 
State  were  affected  with  an  atrophy  that  crippled  every 
attempt  of  the  Government  to  improve  the  internal  com- 
munications of  the  country.  The  clergy,  who  had  perhaps 
made  the  freest  use  of  forced  labor,  in  covering  the  land 
with  elaborate  churches  and  convents  that  all  the  revenues 
of  the  Government  of  the  present  clay  could  hardly  keep 
in  repair,  felt  aggrieved  and  uneasy.  All  was  in  transi- 
tion, and  there  were  few  wise  men  to  guide  the  counsels. 
The  stream  was  turbulent,  and  not  easily  kept  within  its 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  285 

proper  channel.  Is  it  wonderful  that  round  blocks  should 
be  found  in  square  holes  under  such  circumstances  ;  or 
that  the  political  equilibrium,  all  unstable,  should  turn  to 
this  signal  disturbance  or  that,  without  much  reason  ? 

There  were  two  parties,  around  which  rallied  oppos- 
ing elements,  —  the  Conservative,  Central,  or  Servile,  as 
it  was  variously  called,  and  the  Federal,  Liberal,  or 
Democratic.  To  the  former  belonged  the  leading  fami- 
lies, who  possessed  certain  monopolies  and  feared  to  lose 
them ;  the  clergy,  who  with  these  few  families  held 
themselves  for  an  aristocracy ;  and  a  few  of  the  lower 
classes,  who  from  personal  or  religious  feelings  were 
satisfied  with  the  existing  order  of  things :  and  all  these 
bitterly  resisted  any  innovation,  especially  any  attack 
upon  the  privileges  of  the  Church.  To  the  Liberals 
flocked  all  those  who  did  not  enjoy  monopolies,  and  who 
could  not  be  worse  off  under  any  change  ;  but  there 
came  to  this  standard  also  men  of  intellect,  who  saw 
the  dangers  which  threatened  their  country,  and  who 
rejected  the  superstition  into  which  the  local  Church  had 
fallen,  but  who  in  their  eagerness  to  hold  up  the  ex- 
ample of  the  United  States  of  the  North  to  their  newly 
emancipated  countrymen,  forgot  the  radical  difference 
between  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  Spanish  stock  and  train- 
ing. Then  came  in  the  feeling  of  race-jorejudice ;  and 
when  one  remembers  that  three  quarters  of  the  popu- 
lation was  Indian,  and  that  of  the  other  quarter  was 
composed  the  entire  ruling  class,  it  will  perhaps  be  a 
matter  of  surprise  that  more  evil  did  not  come  from 
this  threatening  condition  of  affairs.  If  the  Indios  of 
Guatemala  had  not  been  the  most  peaceable  and  law- 
abiding  of  their  kind  known  to  history,  they  might  have 


280  GUATEMALA. 

improved  the  opportunity  to  repay  all  the  miseries  in- 
flicted upon  their  ancestors.  As  it  happened,  they  could 
at  least  be  conscious  of  their  power. 

With  no  fixed  policy,  the  ancient  States  of  the  king- 
dom of  Guatemala  cut  adrift  from  Spain.  At  one  time 
all,  except  San  Salvador,  entertained  the  idea  of  union 
with  the  new  Empire  of  Mexico  under  Iturbide,  but  they 
escaped  that  complication  by  the  early  collapse  of  the 
Mexican  throne ;  and  at  last,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1823, 
representatives  of  the  States  met  in  the  City  of  Guate- 
mala, and  the  Asamblea  Nacional  Constituyente,  after 
long  debates  and  many  propositions,  in  which,  as  might 
be  supposed,  the  Church  party  had  no  unimportant 
influence,  a  Federal  Constitution  was  proclaimed  on 
Nov.  24,  1824. 

Three  years  later  the  Vice-President,  Flores,  was  mur- 
dered in  Quezaltenango  by  a  mob  of  female  furies  insti- 
gated, it  is  claimed,  by  the  Church  party,  and  his  body 
was  stripped  and  mutilated  by  the  fiend-like  women. 
This  was  done  in  the  church  as  the  wretched  man  clung 
to  the  altar,  and  it  was  done  in  the  name  of  religion. 
The  consequence  immediately  following  was  an  abso- 
lute reig;n  of  religious  fanaticism.  San  Salvador,  how- 
ever,  sent  an  army  to  restore  order,  and  on  March  16, 
1827,  attacked  the  capital;  but  these  troops  of  the  Lib- 
eral party  were  driven  back,  and  for  two  years  a  bar- 
ren warfare  was  kept  up.  In  1829  General  Francisco 
Morazan  led  the  Salvadorenan  army  to  Guatemala ;  and 
now  success  attended  the  Liberals.  After  a  battle  last- 
ing three  days  they  entered  Guatemala  City  in  triumph, 
banished  the  leaders  of  the  Central  party,  and  suppres- 
sed the  convents.     In  1831  Morazan  was  elected  Presi- 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  287 

dent  of  the  Republic  or  Confederacy,  and  for  ten  years 
his  party  held  the  government.  It  is  not  easy  for  a 
foreigner  to  get  trustworthy  information  of  the  true 
value  of  Morazan's  administration  ;  but  while  the  man 
seems  to  have  been  patriotic  and  of  excellent  private 
character,  he  was  not  strong  enough  to  control  the 
warring  elements  around  him.  The  Church  was  his 
bitter  enemy ;  and  while  it  long  endured  the  low  estate 
to  which  the  party  in  power  had  reduced  it,  there  was 
no  lack  of  grumbling,  nor  of  even  more  active  endea- 
vors to  find  a  champion. 

In  the  mean  time  an  Indio  of  low  birth1  and  wholly 
uneducated,  but  of  great  courage,  had  come  into  promi- 
nence as  a  leader  of  bands  of  marauding  Indios.  Rafael 
Carrera,  young  as  he  was,  saw  his  advantage  in  the 
disturbed  condition  of  his  country,  and  after  various 
defeats  at  the  hands  of  the  President,  at  last  drove 
Morazan  from  Guatemala,  and  the  Confederation  came 
to  an  end  (1839). 

Carrera  favored  the  Church  party,  but  had  not  the 
slightest  intention  of  letting  the  Church  rule  him.  He 
knew  how  to  use  it,  and  the  clergy  generally  submitted 
gracefully.  In  all  previous  revolutions  the  defeated  party 
had  been  banished,  and  so  the  State  was  kept  unanimous 
—  a  condition  that  could  not  obtain  now,  because  neither 
party  had  much  real  power  left  after  the  constant  strug- 
gles of  the  past  few  years.  It  was  while  our  countryman 
John  L.  Stephens,  whose  fascinating  account  of  his  travels 

1  Carrera  was  a  servant  in  the  family  of  the  Marquis  tie  Aycinena  ;  after- 
wards a  drummer-boy  in  the  regiment  under  his  master's  command.  A  pamphlet 
was  published  to  prove  that  this  young  half-breed  was  a  natural  son  of  Ayci- 
nena. From  the  countenance  as  represented  on  the  coins  there  is  indication  of 
Negro  and  Indian,  rather  than  Spanish,  blood  in  his  parentage. 


288 


GUATEMALA. 


will  always  be  a  classic,  was  on  a  diplomatic  mission  to 
Central  America  that  young  Carrera  was  gathering  his 
power,  and  it  is  to  this  distinguished  traveller  that 
most  of  the  information  about  Carrera  is  due.  Carrera, 
Fundador  de  la  Republica  de  Guatemala  (Founder  of 
the  Republic),  is  the  title  he  claimed  on  the  coinage  of 


Rafael   Carrera. 


Guatemala  during  his  administration ;  and  after  a  long 
reign  —  the  word  is  used  intentionally  —  he  was  able  to 
designate  his  successor  and  die  in  his  bed,  while  his  chief 
antagonist,  Morazan,  after  a  most  persevering  struggle 
for  the  union  of  Central  America,  was  shot  by  his  un- 
grateful countrymen.  The  tomb  of  Carrera  is  in  the 
metropolitan  church  in  Guatemala  City. 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  289 

On  the  death  of  Carrera,  in  1865,  Don  Vincente  Cerna 
succeeded  to  the  Presidency ;  but  he  did  not  possess  the 
power  over  the  Indios  that  Carrera  held,  and  before  his 
term  of  office  had  half  passed,  disturbances  broke  out  on 
the  northern  frontier,  where  a  man  named  Barrios  had 
collected  a  gang  of  outlaws.  This  insurrection  was  sup- 
pressed, and  Barrios  executed ;  he  however  left  a  successor 
in  the  person  of  Serapio  Cruz,  a  very  corpulent  man,  but 
for  all  that  a  typical  brigand,  who  for  some  time  waged 
a  guerilla  war  from  his  mountain  retreats,  capturing  the 
distilleries  of  aguardiente  (then  a  Government  monopoly), 
and  destroying  what  he  could  not  carry  away.  Joined 
to  this  enemy  on  the  outskirts  of  the  republic  was  a  no- 
less  disturbing  element  in  the  legislature  in  the  person  of 
Don  Miguel  Garcia  Granados,  who  was  most  active  in 
attacking  the  Government.  As  the  Presidential  term  of 
Cerna  ended,  a  rival  in  the  political  field,  General  Victor 
Zavala,  seemed  likely  to  be  elected ;  but  by  a  close  vote 
Cerna  was  re-elected.  In  1869  a  loan  was  negotiated 
in  London  which  enabled  the  Government  to  pay  its  most 
pressing  debts,  and  quiet  was  apparently  secured.  All 
this  time,  however,  the  insurgent  Cruz  was  strengthening 
his  band  in  the  mountains,  where  he  was  joined  by  a  man 
destined  to  hold  the  chief  place  in  Guatemala,  General  J. 
Rufino  Barrios ;  and  in  December,  1869,  the  rebel  army 
approached  the  capital.  The  city  was  in  a  most  excited 
state,  expecting  pillage  if  not  destruction,  when  the 
unexpected  news  came  that  the  head  of  Cruz  would 
soon  be  in  the  city.  It  was  true ;  a  party  of  Indios  had 
attacked  and  defeated  the  chief,  and  now  brought  his 
bleeding  head  to  the  President.  This  disagreeable  trophy 
was  photographed,  and  prints  were  sold  in  the  shops  for 

19 


290  GUATEMALA. 

fifty  cents.  The  rebellion  was  over  for  the  time,  and 
Barrios  fled  to  Mexico.  President  Cerna  was  very  lenient 
to  his  enemies,  and  Granados  was  merely  banished,  and 
put  under  ten  thousand  dollars'  bond  not  to  return  to 
Guatemala. 

Banished  men  are  always  dangerous,  and  Granados 
was  no  exception.  Seeing  his  opportunity  in  some  dis- 
satisfaction with  the  governmental  policy,  he  invaded 
Guatemala,  and  was  at  once  joined  by  General  Barrios. 
The  march  from  Mexican  territory  was  almost  a  trium- 
phal procession,  and  on  the  plain  between  Quezaltenango 
and  Totonicapan  (the  Esdraelon  of  Guatemala)  the  deci- 
sive battle  was  fought.  Cerna  could  not  trust  his  gene- 
rals, and  so  took  the  field  in  person.  For  a  time  the 
battle  was  with  him ;  but  Barrios  brought  up  his  troops 
in  good  time,  and  the  national  army  had  to  give  wa}*. 
President  Cerna  rallied  his  forces  at  Chimaltenango,  only 
to  be  again  defeated  ;  and  after  making  a  final  stand  at 
San  Lucas,  a  small  village  between  Antigua  and  Mixco, 
fled  to  Chiquimula,  where  he  advised  his  followers  to 
submit  to  the  conquerors,  while  he  went  over  into 
Honduras. 

On  the  30th  of  June  the  "  Army  of  Liberators "  en- 
tered the  capital,  and  Granados  was  proclaimed  President 
pro  tempore.  The  new  President  found  an  empty  treas- 
ury, and  called  upon  the  merchants  for  a  loan.  The 
authorities  were  very  careful  to  say  that  this  was  not  a 
forced  loan  ;  but  the  method  was  very  much  of  that  cha- 
racter, for  a  list  was  made  out  of  all  the  merchants  in 
the  city,  and  the  proportion  each  one  was  thought  capa- 
ble of  paying  set  against  his  name.  The  "  subscription 
paper "  was  then  sent  around,  and  few  dared  to  refuse. 


THE  REPUBLIC  OF  GUATEMALA.         291 

No  wonder  that  Central  Americans  do  not  wish  to  be 
thought  rich  or  prosperous !  Granados  was  nominally 
President;  but  no  one  doubted  that  the  man  soon  to  become 
his  successor  was  in  reality  acting  in  that  capacity  even 
then,  although  it  was  convenient  for  him  to  have  Granados 
arrange  the  finances  as  well  as  the  disturbed  politics. 
Several  reforms  were  proclaimed,  as  freedom  of  the 
press,  and  the  abolition  of  the  monopoly  of  distilling 
aguardiente.  Before  three  months  had  passed,  the  clergy 
began  to  make  trouble,  and  in  September,  1872,  the 
Archbishop  and  the  entire  Order  of  Jesuits  were  banished 
the  republic  for  inciting  insurrection  at  Santa  Rosa. 
The  San  Franciscans,  Capucins,  and  Dominicans  were 
expelled  the  following  year.  This  was  briefly  the  story 
of  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Barrios. 

On  June  30,  1871,  General  J.  Rufino  Barrios  was 
elected  President  of  the  independent  republic  that  Carrera 
claimed  to  have  founded ;  and  from  that  date  Guatemala 
began  to  make  real  progress.  His  iron  will  determined 
that  Guatemala  should  indeed  be  chief  of  all  the  Central 
American  States,  so  that  when  the  time  came  to  renew 
the  union  of  all  the  States,  —  a  cherished  scheme  of 
Barrios,  —  there  could  be  no  question  of  her  leadership. 
He  so  far  succeeded  that  his  country  has  undoubtedly 
made  more  material  progress  in  the  ten  years  of  his 
administration  than  the  other  Central  American  Republics 
have  made  in  half  a  century. 

Without  going  into  even  a  brief  history  of  the  politics 
of  the  republic  under  Barrios,  certain  important  acts 
must  be  mentioned,  such  as  the  adoption  of  a  Consti- 
tution, Dec.  9,  1879,  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits,  the 
confiscation    of    much    Church    property    and    its    appro- 


292  GUATEMALA. 

priation  to  the  uses  of  public  education,  as  well  as  for 
hotels  and  government  offices,  —  acts  which  have  greatly 
advanced  this  once  priest-ridden  country.  I  would  not 
have  it  thought  that  in  speaking  of  the  sequestration  of 
the  churches  and  monasteries  I  undervalue  the  offices 
of  religion,  or  am  at  variance  with  the  particular  branch 
of  the  Church  whose  property  was  so  treated.  Guatemala 
needs  more  religion,  not  less ;  and  could  some  of  those 
pure  and  devoted  priests  of  the  Church  of  Rome  whom 
I  have  rejoiced  to  meet  in  many  a  remote  region,  turn 
their  energies  to  Central  America,  it  would  be  well. 
It  cannot,  however,  be  too  clearly  stated  that  what  was 
called  the  Church  in  these  lands  was  a  church  for  any 
other  purpose  than  those  truly  religious  men  could  ap- 
prove. The  evidences  of  corruption  are  too  clear  to 
admit  a  doubt  that  the  clergy  had  ceased  to  do  the 
people  any  good :  they  failed  to  do  their  duty,  in  their 
eager  struggle  for  temporal  power ;  and  to-day  the  splen- 
did churches  they  built  are  in  ruins,  or  left  to  the  minis- 
trations of  some  itinerant  priest.  There  are  in  Guatemala 
church  edifices  enough  to  contain  the  entire  population, 
not  a  tenth  part  of  which  ever  enters  for  worship,  since 
the  majority  has  been  repelled  rather  than  attracted  by 
the  unfaithful  padres. 

The  legislative  power  is  in  the  Asamblea  Nacional  of 
Guatemala,  which  convenes  on  the  1st  of  March  annu- 
ally ;  and  its  ordinary  sessions  last  only  two  months, 
although  it  may  continue  in  session  another  month  if 
necessary.  Owing  to  the  adoption  of  a  code,  the  repub- 
lic is  generally  saved  the  "  hayseed  "  law  of  the  Northern 
legislatures  and  the  " judge-made"  law  of  the  courts; 
and  the  work  of  the  Asamblea  is  greatly  lightened.     The 


THE  REPUBLIC  OF  GUATEMALA.         293 

deputies  who  compose  the  Asamblea  are  elected  on  the 
basis  of  one  for  every  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  or 
for  a  fraction  exceeding  one  half  of  that  number.  Each 
is  elected  for  a  term  of  four  years ;  but  the  terms  are  so 
arranged  that  one  half  of  the  deputies  is  changed  every 
two  years.  To  these  deputies  the  various  Secretaries  of 
State  make  formal  reports  regarding  the  matters  usually 
contained  in  the  President's  Message  to  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States. 

The  President  of  Guatemala  is  elected  by  direct  popular 
vote  for  the  term  of  six  years ;  and  the  Asamblea  elects 
two  persons  to  succeed  him  in  turn,  should  he  die  or 
cease  to  act  during  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected. 
Profiting  by  the  example  of  the  older  republic,  Guatemala 
has  rejected  the  farcical  election  still  used  in  the  North, 
where  the  people  are  supposed  to  elect  electors  to  elect 
a  President.  The  President  appoints  the  following 
Secretaries  of  State  :  — 


Relaciones  Exteriores  . 
Gobernacion  i  Justicia  . 
Hacienda  y  Credito  Publico 

Guerra 

Fomento 

Instruction  Publica 


Foreign  Affairs. 

Government  and  Justice. 

Treasury. 

War. 

Interior. 

Public  Instruction. 


These  officials,  with  nine  Counsellors,  form  the  Council 
of  State.  For  the  purposes  of  government  the  republic 
is  divided  into  twenty-three  Departments,  which  are  sub- 
divided into  sixty-one  Districts.  In  these  Districts  are 
eleven  cities  (ciudades),  thirty-two  towns  (villas),  two 
hundred  and  ninety-nine  villages  (2meblos),  fourteen  hun- 
dred and  six  settlements  (aldeas),  fifty-nine  shore  ham- 
lets    (caserios     Morales),     and    three     thousand     seven 


294 


GUATEMALA. 


hundred  and  forty-two  interior  hamlets  (caserios  rurales). 
The  Departments,  with  their  chief  towns,  are  as  follows : 


Departments. 

Chief  Towns. 

Guatemala Guatemala 

(ciudad) 

Amatitlan     . 

Amatitlan 

(< 

Escuintla 

Escuintla 

(c 

Sacatepequez 

Antigua 

it 

Chimaltenango 

Chimaltenango 

(villa) 

Solola 

Solola 

cc 

Totonicapan 

Totonicapan 

(ciudad) 

Suchitepequez 

Mazatenaugo 

(villa) 

Retalhuleu  . 

Retalhuleu 

t< 

Quezaltenango 

Quezaltenango 

(ciuclacl) 

.San  Marcos  . 

San  Marcos* 

u 

Huehuetenango 

Huehuetenango 

(( 

Quiche    . 

Santa  Cruz  del  Quiche  (villa) 

Santa  Rosa  . 

Cuajinicuilapa 

u 

Jutiapa 

Jutiapa 

a 

Jalapa  . 

Jalapa 

41 

Chiquimula  . 

Chiquimula 

(ciudad) 

Zacapa  . 

Zacapa 

(villa) 

Izabal     . 

Izabal 

(puerto) 

Livingston    . 

Livingston 

a 

Baja  Verapaz 

Salama 

(ciudad) 

Alta  Verapaz 

Coban 

u 

Peten 

Sacluk 

(pueblo) 

The  Executive  appoints  over  each  of  these  Depart- 
ments a  Jefe  politico,  or  civil  governor ;  and,  like  the 
Secretaries  of  State,  they  must  be  men  in  whom  he  has 
implicit  confidence.  I  may  add  that  I  met  fifteen  of 
these  Jefes  in  the  course  of  my  journey,  and  found  them, 
with  two  exceptions,  men  of  character  and  intelligence, 
who  would  compare  favorably  with  the  governors  of 
any  of  the  Northern  States ;  nor  is  this  surprising,  since 
they  are  appointed  for  their  fitness,  and  not  elected,  as 
the  United   States   governors  often  are,  by  a  handful  of 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  295 

irresponsible  politicians  who  use  popular  votes  simply  to 
forward  their  private  ends. 

The  organic  law  of  Guatemala  is  the  Civil,  or  Roman. 
The  code  is  the  result  of  careful  study  and  adaptation  to 
the  needs  of  the  country,  and  not  the  result  of  the  tink- 
ering of  village  Solons  and  the  decisions  of  wiseacre 
judges,  as  is  that  heterogeneous  mass,  amorphous  and 
illogical,  the  common  law.  Wherever  especial  needs 
have  arisen,  the  code  has  been  supplemented  by  decretos 
conforming  to  the  system.  The  judiciary  is  appointed, 
and  the  members  hold  office  for  four  years.  It  cannot  be 
denied  that  some  of  the  lower  judges  are  not  always  men 
of  considerable  legal  attainments ;  but  it  will  be  remem- 
bered that  they  do  not  usurp  the  legislative  function,  as 
is  too  often  the  case  with  judges  under  the  common 
law. 

Although  the  country  is  of  the  Roman  Catholic  form 
of  religion,  the  Constitution  allows  full  liberty  of  worship 
to  other  sects,  within  their  respective  churches,  but  for- 
bids acts  subversive  of  public  order,  or  which  might 
invalidate  any  civil  or  political  obligations.1  Notwith- 
standing this  liberty,  there  is,  I  believe,  but  one  Protes- 
tant congregation  worshipping  in  the  republic.  It  seems 
that  the  offices  of  religion  are  used  most  by  women  and 
by  the  dying.  Guatemala  certainly  cannot  be  called  a 
religious  community.  The  ruined  churches,  crumbling  to 
dust  and  serving  only  as  cemeteries  of  the  dead,  are 
monuments  of  a  departed  worship.     Perhaps  some  day  a 

1  "  Art.  24.  El  ejercicio  cle  todas  las  religiones,  sin  preeminencia  alguna, 
queda  garantizado  en  el  interior  cle  los  temples;  pero  ese  libre  ejercicio  no 
podra  extenderse  hasta  ejecntar  actos  subversivos  6  practices  inconipatibles  con 
la  paz  y  el  orden  publico,  ni  da  derecho  para  oponerse  al  cuniplimiento  de  laa 
obligaciones  civiles  y  politicals." 


296  GUATEMALA. 

purer  religion  may  rebuild  these  fair  temples  and  call 
within  their  walls  all  the  Guatemaltecan  children  of 
the  Great  Father,  to  be  refreshed  with  new  life  and 
courage. 

In  sad  contrast  with  the  religious  life  of  Guatemala  is 
the  military  vigor.  It  is  difficult  to  obtain  the  exact 
statistics  of  the  army,  even  in  a  time  of  peace ;  but  it  is 
said  that  the  standing  army  numbers  twenty-five  hun- 
dred rank  and  file,  with  eighty  jefes  and  two  hundred 
and  fifty-three  other  officers,  while  the  militia,  including 
all  males  not  physically  exempt,  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  fifty,  amounted  in  1883  to  49,835  men. 
Under  control  of  the  War  Department  are  the  police, 
street-lighting,  and  the  Polytechnic  School.  While  it  is 
possible  that  the  army  does  not  cost  so  much  in  propor- 
tion to  the  population  as  in  some  of  the  other  Central 
American  republics,  it  is  nevertheless  a  terrible  drain 
upon  the  resources  of  the  people,  apart  from  the  bad 
moral  effect  of  a  military  life,  as  seen  in  all  history. 
May  the  time  soon  come  when  this  beautiful  republic 
shall  throw  off  the  incubus  and  devote  all  her  energies  to 
the  development  of  her  vast  resources  ! 

I  pass  to  a  more  agreeable  theme,  the  foundation- 
stone  of  a  republic,  —  public  instruction.  On  Dec.  13, 
1879,  President  Barrios  by  decree  established  the  present 
excellent  system  of  compulsory  and  gratuitous  elemen- 
tary education.  Under  this  in  the  primary  schools  are 
taught  reading,  Spanish,  knowledge  of  objects,  writing 
and  linear  drawing,  geography,  history,  morals,  and  po- 
liteness.1   For  those  who  wish  to  go  beyond  these  elements, 

1  "  Lectura,  nociones  practicas  de  la  lengua  patria,  conocimientos  de  objectos, 
escritura  y  dibujo  lineal,  geografia  e  historia,  moral  y  urbanidad." 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  297 

equally  gratuitous  facilities  are  afforded  for  learning  Span- 
ish grammar,  book-keeping,  elementary  natural  history, 
geography,  and  history  of  Central  America,  and  some  other 
branches  (complementary). 

In  1883  there  were  in  Guatemala  eight  hundred  and 
fifty  primary  schools,  divided  thus,  —  for  boys,  five  hundred 
and  forty;  for  girls,  two  hundred  and  thirty-six;  mixed, 
sixteen  ;  artisans'  evening-schools,  forty-seven ;  a  Sunday- 
school  for  workmen,  one  also  for  women,  and  nine  com- 
plementary schools.  The  attendance  at  these  schools 
was  39,642  pupils,  27,974  males  and  11,668  females; 
there  were  735  male  teachers,  and  302  female  teachers, 
while  the  cost  was  $241,499.14,  or  $6.09  each  pupil. 
These  schools,  scattered  all  over  the  republic,  meeting 
sometimes  in  old  convents  or  other  confiscated  church 
buildings,  sometimes  in  the  cabildo  or  in  buildings  espe- 
cially provided,  are  visited  and  inspected  frequently  by 
suitable  persons  appointed  by  Government,  who  do  the 
duty  laid  upon  them  far  more  intelligently  than  most  of 
the  New  England  school-committee  men,  —  I  have  had 
experience  of  both. 

Teachers'  institutes  are  held  in  three  places  each  year 
in  November,  and  the  teachers  are  expected  to  attend  and 
gather  what  new  matter  or  interest  may  be  provided  for 
them.  As  the  Government  appoints  the  teachers,  it  is 
responsible  ;  and  I  believe  there  is  a  general  care  among 
these  teachers  to  keep  well  up  to  the  requirements. 
Wisely,  the  schools  are  not  overloaded,  as  are  those  in 
many  Northern  cities,  with  every  conceivable  subject;  but 
the  aim  is  to  give  every  child  the  beginning  of  an  elemen- 
tary education,  which  he  can,  if  circumstances  permit, 
greatly  expand. 


298  GUATEMALA. 

There  are  also  fifty-five  private  schools,  with  1,870 
pupils  costing  $84,154,  of  which  the  Government  pays 
$4,944. 

The  secondary  instruction  is  given  in  several  high 
schools  or  academies,  of  which  the  most  important  is  the 
Instituto  Nacional,  Central  de  Hombres,  in  the  City  of 
Guatemala.  The  spacious  buildings,  formerly  church 
property,  well  accommodate  the  physical  and  chemical 
laboratories,  the  meteorological  observatory  (the  most 
complete  in  Central  America),  the  zoological  museum, 
mineral  cabinet,  and  lecture-rooms,  while  within  the 
courts  is  a  good  zoological  garden.  Besides  the  numerous 
class-rooms  and  offices  are  commodious  dormitories  pro- 
vided with  iron  bedsteads  and  kept  in  very  neat  order. 
The  corps  of  instruction  consists  of  a  director  and  twenty- 
seven  professors,  and  in  1883  there  were  two  hundred 
and  fifty-three  boarders,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  day 
pupils,  with  twenty-three  pupils  in  the  normal  depart- 
ment, and  eleven  free  pupils.  The  day-pupils  pay  a 
matriculation  fee  of  $10  annually,  and  $3  for  an  exam- 
ination in  each  course.  The  institute  costs  $19,839.00, 
or  $180.75  for  each  boarder,  and  $105.30  for  each  day- 
pupil.  I  have  examined  the  work  of  the  pupils,  and 
found  it  very  creditable,  quite  equal  in  many  respects 
to  that  of  the  boys  in  the  Latin  and  high  schools  of 
Boston.  The  girls  are  not  neglected,  although  their 
instruction  does  not  proceed  to  the  extravagant  lengths 
common  in  the  eastern  United  States  and  in  England, 
where  the  endeavor  is  made  to  train  the  female  in- 
tellect to  the  standard  of  the  male,  and  so  wholly  unfit 
for  the  privileges  of  matrimony  and  maternity  the  un- 
fortunate girls  who  are  subjected  to  such  training.    The 


THE  REPUBLIC  OF  GUATEMALA.         299 

Instituto  de  Belen,  Central  de  Senoritas,  has  a  faculty  of 
one  preceptress  and  ten  female  teachers  in  charge  of  one 
hundred  and  twelve  pupils,  costing  the  nation  $78,000. 
This  school  occupies  an  extensive  building,  with  suitable 
cabinets  and  a  gymnasium.  A  kindergarten  is  attached 
to  this  school. 

In  Chiquimula  is  the  Instituto  de  Oriente,  with  one 
director,  six  professors,  and  thirty-three  boys,  nine  board- 
ers, and  fourteen  day-pupils.  More  important  than  this 
is  the  Instituto  de  Occidente,  in  Quezaltenango,  with  a 
director,  twenty-two  professors,  and  two  hundred  and 
twenty-one  pupils.  Cabinets  of  minerals  and  other  nat- 
ural objects,  a  chemical  laboratory  and  a  meteorological 
observatory,  help  in  the  instruction.  In  the  same  city  is 
a  similar  school  for  girls,  with  a  preceptress  (director a), 
eleven  professoras,  and  eighty-two  pupils. 

Professional  instruction,  which  in  the  United  States  of 
the  North  is  not  deemed  a  part  of  the  system  of  free  pub- 
lic education,  is  here  undertaken  by  the  Government ;  and 
four  faculties  are  established  to  teach  law  (derecho  y  no- 
tariado),  medicine  and  pharmacy,  engineering,  and  phi- 
losophy and  literature.  Each  of  these  faculties  elects  a 
dean,  secretary,  and  four  vocales  who  have  charge  of  the 
courses  of  study  and  other  matters  peculiar  to  their 
branch,  while  the  four  directories  (juntas  directivas) 
form  a  council  charged  with  the  sole  administration 
of  the  professional  schools.  Forty  professors  teach  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  pupils  at  a  cost  of  $24,903.96 
to  the  nation.  The  law  claims  forty-two  pupils ;  med- 
icine, seventy ;  engineering,  eleven ;  and  literature,  ten. 
Special  instruction  does  not  stop  here,  for  there  are 
also   in    the    capital    seven    schools,    costing    $21,762.24, 


o 


00  GUATEMALA. 


and  teaching   two  hundred  and   forty-two  pupils  in  the 
following  branches  :  — 

Music  and  Oratory 6G  pupils. 

Commerce 50      " 

Design G2       " 

Arts  and  Occupations 55      " 

A  school  for  deaf-mutes  has  nine  pupils.  The  Poly- 
technic School  is  under  the  direction  of  the  Minister  of 
War,  and  has  eighty  pupils.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  system  of  marks  in  use  in  this  institution  has  recently 
been  adopted  in  Harvard  University. 

While  I  am  aware  that  a  mere  table  of  numbers,  a  cen- 
sus of  pupils  and  teachers,  even  if  illustrated  with  the 
courses  pursued  and  the  instruments  for  instruction,  can- 
not convey  to  my  readers  a  fair  understanding  of  the  re- 
sults accomplished  by  the  system  of  public  education  in 
Guatemala,  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  that  I  have  for  six 
years  performed  with  attention  my  duties  on  the  school- 
board  of  one  of  the  largest  cities  in  the  North,  and  my 
interest  in  the  subject  of  education  led  me  to  examine  the 
schools  of  this  Southern  city,  with  constant  comparisons 
with  the  type  most  familiar  to  me ;  and  the  conclusion  to 
which  I  arrived  was  that  the  system  in  Guatemala  was 
excellently  suited  to  the  country  and  people,  that  the 
Government  had  done  better  than  my  own  Government  in 
the  North,  and  if  the  results  were  not  in  every  case  all 
that  could  be  desired,  it  was  not  the  fault  of  schools  or 
teachers.  I  have  examined  both  public  and  private 
schools,  containing  both  ladino  and  Indian  children,  and 
have  found  many  well-instructed  boys  and  girls,  but  never 
the  execrable  system  of  cramming  so  much  in  vogue  at 
the  North.     I  did  not  see  the  sallow,  pimply,   stooping, 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  301 

weak-eyed  boys  that  form  so  large  a  minority  of  the  pub- 
lic-school children  at  home.  I  am  sure  that  if  fewer 
"  branches  "  are  taught  here,  less  ill-health  results ;  and  I 
am  quite  ready  to  honor  good  health  before  mere  book- 
learning. 

"With  some  hesitation,  I  add  to  the  means  of  education 
the  modern  newspaper.  Before  the  election  of  Barrios 
there  were  but  two  official  publications  of  this  class,  —  "  La 
Gaceta  "  and  "  La  Semana,"  both  proceeding  from  one  pen, 
and  the  journal  of  the  Sociedad  Economica.  Now  there 
are  in  the  capital  four  printing  establishments,  and  the 
list  of  publications  is  a  very  respectable  one.  The  official 
"  El  Guatemalteco  "  presents  four  times  a  week  all  official 
announcements,  including  the  text  of  all  public  grants  or 
contracts,  —  a  plan  which  must  place  a  check  on  extrava- 
gance or  improper  favoritism.  "  La  Estrella  de  Guatemala," 
an  independent  daily  ;  "  Diario  de  Centro- America,"  "  La 
Gaceta  de  los  Tribunales,"  twice  a  month  ;  "  La  Gaceta  de 
los  Hospitales,"  monthly ;  "  El  Horizonte  "  and  "  El  En- 
sayo,"  weekly,  are  published  in  the  capital.  In  Quezalte- 
nango"El  Bien  Publico"  is  a  well-written  twice-a-week 
publication.  In  Mazatenango  "  El  Eco  de  los  Altos," 
twice  a  month;  in  Antigua  "El  Eco  del  Valle,"  daily;  in 
Chiquimula  "  El  Oriental,"  weekly  ;  in  Salama  "  La  Voz 
del  Norte,"  in  Coban  "  El  Quetzal,"  both  weekly,  have  a 
considerable  local  circulation ;  and  during  the  session  of 
the  Asamblea  full  stenographic  reports  of  the  proceedings 
are  published  in  the  "  Diario  de  las  Sesiones." 

I  cannot  say  much  about  the  Guatemaltecan  libraries, 
although  not  for  the  reason  that  made  the  chapter  "  On 
Serpents"  in  the  History  of  Norway  so  famous.  The 
national  library  is  very  small,  and  the  treasures  of  manu- 


302  GUATEMALA. 

script  which  survived  the  ungentle  hands  of  the  early 
rulers  have  been  so  carelessly  guarded  that  the  choicest 
are  now  in  foreign  hands  (French  and  German) ;  and  the 
printed  volumes  relating  to  the  history  of  Central  Amer- 
ica, or  the  publications  of  the  native  Press,  are  difficult  to 
find.  There  are  no  important  bookstores  in  Guatemala, 
and  I  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  sight  of 
Fuentes  and  Juarros,  both  of  which  I  found  only  in 
private  libraries.  In  an  old  curiosity  shop  a  copy  of 
Villagutierre  Soto  Mayor's  "  Historia  de  la  Conquista  de 
la  Provincia  de  el  Itza  "  was  held  at  $50,  or  twice  the 
price  the  old  folio  fetches  in  London. 

With  no  Coast  or  Interior  Survey  (except  the  temporary 
work  of  the  Commission  on  the  Northern  Boundary),  there 
are  few  scientific  or  historical  publications  issued  by  the 
Government. 

The  debt  of  Guatemala  is  reported  at  a  total  (1885)  of 
$5,817,947.19,  drawing  interest  at  six  per  cent.  It  is 
made  up  of  the  following  items  :  — 

An  English  loan  for  which  Guatemala  be- 
came responsible  in  the  days  of  the 
Confederation 8554,268.83 

An   English   loan   of    1869    (by    President 

Cerna)     3,599,771.75 

Government  bonds  in  circulation   (Interior 

debt)      1,603,900.61 

$5,817,9-17.19 

For  the  payment  of  the  bonds  of  the  Interior,  a  sink- 
ing-fund is  provided,  consisting  of  fifteen  per  cent  of  the 
duties  on  imports,  the  sums  received  for  exemption  from 
military  service,  etc.  The  average  duties  on  imports  are 
between  fifty-five  and  sixty  per  cent  ad  valorem. 

The  income  of  the  republic  during  the  }-ear  1882  was  : 


THE  REPUBLIC   OF  GUATEMALA. 


olio 


3%  on  real  estate 
Road  tax     . 
Military  tax 
Abated  taxes     . 


Direct  Taxes. 

.  .  $103,886.05 

.  .  34,830.85 

.  .  13,925.17 

.  .  4,132.56 


Duties  on  imports     . 

Duties  on  exports     . 

Harbor  dues 

Stamped  paper  and  stamps 

Impost  on  native  flour    . 

Impost  on  salt    . 

Impost  on  legacies  . 

Beneficio  de  Reses  . 

h°J0  on  transfers  of  real  estate 

Tax  for  higher  education 
Tax  for  muuicipios  . 
Tax  for  police  in  the  capital 
Tax  for  hospitals 
Telegraphs  .... 

Mails 

Mint      . 
Fondos  judiciales 

Excise  on  liquors 

Excise  on  tobacco    . 

Excise    on   gunpowder   and 

saltpetre 


Indirect  Taxes. 

$1,698,469.93 
66,685.36 


3,960.22 
114,221.57 
47,198.19 
27,454.58 
11,514.06 
99,964.59 
53,530.42 

$10,127. 87 

10,678.62 

113,296.13 

119,507.26 

55,575.96 

25,087.95 

19,518.51 

6,513.19 

,260,042.43 
346,263.15 

23,994.31 


Various  income 

Contracts,  etc.  (anticipation  of  taxes) 


$156,224.63 


2,122,998.92 


360,905.49 


1,636,299.89 

135,457.44 
2,030,033.01 

56,441,919.38 


Of  the  expenses  of  the  Government  for  the  same  fiscal 
period,  it  will  be  seen  from  the  following  abstract  that 
the  army  expenses  form  more  than  a  sixth  of  the  entire 
sum,  even  in  a  time  of  peace. 


304  GUATEMALA. 


Expenses  of  Administration. 


Department  of  the  Interior 
"  "   "   Treasury 

"  "  War    .      . 

"  "  Justice      . 

"  "  Public  Instruc 


$107,3-19.25 
208,872.45 
1,104,521.37 
723,740-93 
tion  252,891.02 

"  Foreign  Affairs    .  80,850.11 

$2,598,231.73 


General  Expenses. 

Collecting  direct  taxes     .      .      .  $6,962.01 

"         indirect  taxes         .      .  32,410.52 

Excise  on  liquors 120,031.04 

"        "  tobacco       ....  90,289.05 

Higher  instruction       ....  25,418.55 

Municipios 15,704.77 

Pawnshops  and  pensions .      .      .  45,053.54 

Mails 42,725.10 

Telegraphs 101,288.01 

Mint 20,539.59 

Mobiliario 2,980.70 

Hospitals 130,794.20 

Police 148,128.12 

Confiscations 581.52 

Judiciary 6,033.37 

Extraordinary 0,000.92 

Gunpowder  and  saltpetre       .      .  2,900.04 

810,514.97 

Interest $200,325.81 

Purchase  of  tobacco    ....  99,342.05 
"         "  gunpowder  and  salt- 
petre ....  5,795.70 
Repayments  (Devolutiones)  .      .  14,373.07 

Public  property 0,197.09 

Accounts 2,010.24 

328,043.90 

Funding  bonds  and  obligations 2,554,070.94 

Subsidy  to  street-railroad 833.33 

Various  paj'ments 205,721.45 

$0,503,422.38 


THE   REPUBLIC    OF   GUATEMALA.  305 

However  dry  long  columns  of  figures  may  be,  they  tell 
the  story  in  the  shortest  way,  and  will  give  to  those  inter- 
ested in  the  work  of  a  Government  some  insight  into  its 
methods.  Like  many  other  Governments,  that  of  Guate- 
mala anticipates  taxes,  borrows,  and  issues  paper  obliga- 
tions. Its  chief  income  is  from  the  sale  of  liquor  and 
from  import  duties.  I  have  in  another  place  described 
the  method  of  taxing  the  sale  of  liquors,  and  I  may  say 
here  that  the  tax  seems  to  be  collected  with  fairness  ;  but 
the  heavy  import  duties  offer  a  premium  on  smuggling, 
and  I  was  told  some  very  ingenious  and  amusing  methods 
that  had  been  used  to  evade  the  customs.  If  the  ports 
of  Guatemala  were  not  just  what  they  are,  it  would  be  a 
very  difficult  matter  to  collect  the  revenue  from  imports. 

The  currency  of  Guatemala  is  silver,  with  the  exception 
of  about  $50,000  of  Government  paper,  and,  like  the  silver 
currency  of  the  United  States,  is  worth  only  about  seventy 
per  cent  of  its  face  in  gold  ;  but,  unlike  the  Northern  Re- 
public, Guatemala  has  not  the  power  to  float  her  debased 
coin,  and  the  standard  is  therefore  American  gold.  To 
meet  its  needs  the  Government  sometimes  mortgages  to 
money-lenders  its  revenues  in  part,  or  even  puts  a  custom- 
house in  pawn  ;  and  cases  have  occurred  where  its  subsi- 
dies have  been  suspended  by  arbitrary  decree  for  a  year, 
or  even  longer.  Hence  the  unwillingness  to  embark  in 
any  enterprise  that  is  largely  dependent  on  Government 
aid.  Even  the  mail-subsidies  when  paid  are  paid  with 
orders  on  the  customs.  This,  together  with  the  very 
heavy  import  duties,  certainly  checks  the  investment  of 
foreign  capital ;  though  to  those  within  the  country,  and 
informed  as  to  methods,  the  duties  are  much  lightened  by 
purchasing  Government  bonds  at  fifty  per  cent  and  paying 

20 


306  GUATEMALA. 

them  for  duties  at  par.  By  this  and  similar  practices, 
which  I  do  not  think  it  best  to  describe,  large  mercantile 
establishments  derive  great  profit  at  the  expense  of  the 
revenues. 

To  meet  the  needs  of  commerce  there  are  but  three 
banks ;  two,  "  El  Banco  Internacional "  and  "  El  Banco 
Columbiano,"  are  in  the  City  of  Guatemala,  while  the 
third  is  in  Quezaltenango.  These  have  between  them  a 
capital  of  perhaps  $5,000,000,  and  they  do  the  business  of 
banks  of  circulation,  deposit,  and  exchange.  The  usual 
rate  on  deposits  subject  to  sight  drafts  is  three  per  cent 
per  annum,  and  on  current  accounts  and  discounts  twelve 
per  cent ;  while  they  pay  their  stockholders  from  twelve 
per  cent  to  twenty  per  cent  in  dividends.  The  Banco  In- 
ternacional has  called  in  but  seventy  per  cent  of  its  capital 
stock.  These  banks  date  only  from  1875,  and  their  notes 
are  hardly  current  outside  the  larger  cities.  Many  of  the 
principal  mercantile  houses  do  a  larger  banking  business, 
and  hold  extensive  private  deposits. 

Of  large  corporations  Guatemala  has  but  few.  That 
of  the  Piers  (Compania  cle  los  Muelles  de  San  Jose  y 
Champerico)  has  a  capital  of  §250,000 ;  its  profits  are 
said  to  be  immense,  as  it  holds  the  monopoly  of  all  the 
landing  facilities  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The  railroads 
between  Guatemala  and  San  Jose,  and  between  Cham- 
perico and  Retalhuleu,  are  capitalized  at  about  $5,000,000. 
The  proposed  railroad  from  Puerto  Barrios  (Santo  Tomas) 
to  the  capital,  at  present  mostly  owned  by  natives,  will, 
it  is  supposed,  cost  from  twelve  to  fifteen  millions.  The 
street  railway  in  Guatemala  has  a  capital  of  $200,000. 

The  Government  owns  the  entire  telegraphic  system  of 
the  republic,  and  all  the  towns  of  any  importance  are  con- 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF  GUATEMALA.  307 

nected  by  more  than  three  thousand  miles  of  wire,  with 
seventy  offices.  The  expenditures  of  this  bureau  seem  to 
be  nearly  twice  the  amount  of  the  receipts,  and  from  the 
nature  of  the  country  the  cost  of  maintenance  must  be  very 
great,  owing  to  the  rapid  growth  of  tropical  vegetation  and 
the  destruction  wrought  by  insects,  especially  the  comajen ; 
yet  the  tariff  is  reasonable,  and  one  can,  while  paying  for 
a  message,  pay  also  for  the  answer  (contestation  pagado). 
Both  the  designs  on  the  telegraph  blanks  and  the  paper 
used  are  much  better  than  the  companies  in  the  United 
States  supply  to  their  customers.  By  cable  Guatemala 
has  communication  with  South  America,  Mexico,  the 
United  States,  and  Europe. 

The  mail  service  is  excellent  between  the  principal 
towns  and  foreign  ports ;  but  owing  to  the  nature  of  the 
country  the  time  consumed  over  the  less-frequented  roads 
is  very  great.  As  a  fair  indication  of  the  development  of 
the  country  since  1871  under  the  administration  of  Pres- 
ident Barrios,  the  great  increase  in  the  amount  of  matter 
sent  through  the  mails  may  be  cited  ;  for  in  that  year  the 
total  number  of  letters,  papers,  and  circulars  did  not 
reach  fifty  thousand,  while  in  1884  it  exceeded  three 
millions.  Guatemala  has  joined  the  Postal  Union,  but 
demands  ten  cents  per  rate  on  letters  leaving  her  ports. 
While  so  many  of  the  great  nations  put  upon  their  post- 
age-stamps the  portraits  of  their  rulers  or  most  distin- 
guished men  to  be  spit  upon  and  defaced,  this  republic,  with 
better  taste,  submits  only  the  national  bird  (quetzal)  to 
this  rousrh  treatment.1 


1  A  new  series  of  stamps  was  issued  in  1886;  and  it  is  reported  that  they 
were  furnished  to  the  Government  free  of  cost  by  a  private  individual,  who 
asked  as  his  only  compensation  the  entire  lot  of  stamps  of  the  old  issue  then 


308  GUATEMALA. 

What  a  people  imports  is  always  a  matter  of  no  slight 
moment  in  studying  their  social  condition ;  and  on  ex- 
amining the  classified  list  which  I  have  taken  from  the 
official  publications,  one  will  see  several  very  curious  facts. 
First  a  large  amount  of  cinnamon  is  imported,  chiefly  to 
flavor  chocolate,  when  it  might  readily  be  raised  at  home, 
—  indicating  that  the  enormous  duty  of  one  hundred  per 
cent  does  not  prevent  importation  or  stimulate  home  pro- 
duction. The  same  may  be  predicated  of  white  wax, 
wheat,  and  flour,  for  bees  flourish  in  the  uplands,  and  the 
wheat  is  of  the  best  quality ;  but  mills  are  scarce,  and  pri- 
vate enterprise  is  wanting.  Few  printed  books  are  im- 
ported ;  and  as  the  domestic  publications  are  unimportant, 
we  must  infer  that  the  Guatemaltecans  are  not  a  reading 
people.  The  table  also  gives  an  idea  of  the  duties  levied, 
and  is  worthy  of  attention.  That  the  reader  may  see  how 
little  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  brings  to  Guate- 
mala, I  have  given  a  table  of  imports  by  countries.  Nearer 
than  England  or  France,  it  is  still  cheaper  to  pass  her  by 
and  go  to  the  distant  markets. 

CLASSIFICATION   OF   IMPORTS   BY   SEA   IN   1884. 

Values.  Duties. 

Oils  (vegetable)    ....  $14,839.45  $14,128.30 

Aguardiente 35,124.70  43,604.75 

Cotton  thread  and  cloth  .       .  1,607,362.34  1,594,756.48 

Firearms 1,758.00  2,435.00 

Shoes 3,697.42  3,926.28 

Cinnamon 20,845.00  20,194.45 

Carriages 2,600.00  1,575.00 

Carried  forward  ....     $1,686,226.91  $1,6«0, 710. 26 

on  hand.  Evidently  the  rage  for  old  postage-stamps  has  a  money  basis,  and 
this  contractor  expects  to  get  a  corner  on  old  Guatemaltecan  stamps ;  and  no 
doubt  he  will  make  profit  on  his  venture. 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA. 


309 


ulture, 


Brought  forward 

Barley      .       . 

White  wax 

Beer  . 

Preserves 

Glass 

Money     . 

Sundry  articles 

Drugs 

Stearine,  crude,  and  candles 

Matches  . 

Flour       .       . 

Iron  in  bars,  etc 

Instruments,  —  agric 

arts,  and  sciences 
Wool,  thread,  and  cloth 
Printed  books 
Sweet  liquors 
Linen  cloth    . 
Earthenware  . 
Timber  for  building 
Machinery 
Medicines 
Hardware 
Wooden  furniture 
Articles    for    institutions    of 

charity  or  public  education 

Paper 

Perfumery 

Petroleum  and  naphtha    . 

Pianos 

Tanned  leather     . 
Prenderia  fina      .... 
Utensils  of  tin,  iron,  etc. 

Clocks 

Empty  bags 

Salt  " 

Silk  thread  and  cloth 
Saddles 


[,686,226.91 

4,386.20 

3,122.50 

29,856.20 

47,539.87 

10,725.63 

82,932.00 

11,375.40 

21,462.94 

14,798.15 

7,235.76 

118,490.00 

85,852.25 

2,728.80 

146,294.34 

12,627.50 

5,386.65 
11,743.17 
15,490.86 
35,594.00 
48,475.70 
52,952.85 
23,738.46 

1,143.50 

10,837.94 
41,694.37 

5,873.65 
14,764.00 
10,950.00 
56,863.84 
19,145.00 
24,678.26 

3,956.00 
25,384.83 

4,122.30 

102,835.72 

946.25 


.,680,710.26 

438.62 

2,982.20 

30,267.96 

41,851.68 

8,397.56 

free 
11,594.34 
22,794.77 
11,563.22 
7,359.43 
139,082.10 
99,637.37 

272.88 

159,381.69 

1,252.75 

5,893.49 

11,236.54 

14,129.36 

free 

4,847.57 

54,326.68 

21,954.95 

1,865.46 

free 

29,358.39 

6,034.26 

8.439.30 

6,470.00 

31,263.10 

1,914.50 

21,245.84 

786.55 

free 

12.778.56 

116,936.29 

1,082.00 


Curried  forward 


$2,802,231.80 


^2,568,149.67 


310  GUATEMALA. 

Brought  forward       .      .      .    $2,802,231.80  82,568,149.67 

Hats  of  all  kinds        .      .       .  23,751.68  24,369.35 
Corrugated  iron,  barbed  wire, 

carts,  pumps   ....  18,462.70                      1,536.91 

Wheat 60,128.51  28,362.68 

Railroad  supplies        .       .       .  328,426.37                         free 

Wine 48,697.40  52,165.24 

$3,281,698.46  $2,674,583.85 

IMPORTED   IN   1SS4   FROM 

England $1,735,954.87 

France 450,365.75 

CALIFORNIA 391,782  50 

Germany 170.824.35 

NEW  ORLEANS        .       .       .       .       .  103.548.24 

NEW  YORK 98,296.18 

Switzerland 75.173.61 

Spain 69,387.49 

Italy 51,632.60 

China 48,594.32 

Belgium 29,781.25 

Belize  (British  Honduras)         .       .       .  28,937.48 

Central  America 14,569.77 

United  States  of  Columbia       .       .      .  10,314.05 

Chile 2,536.00 

33,281,698.46 

California  furnishes  most  of  the  flour  and  wheat,  but 
New  Orleans  most  of  the  timber  for  building,  while  New 
York  contributes  printed  books,  canned  goods,  clocks,  fire- 
arms, and  patent  medicines.  From  the  three  ports  of  the 
United  States  which  are  in  direct  steam  communication 
with  the  ports  of  Guatemala  goods  valued  at  $593,626.92 
were  imported, —  less  than  came  from  France  and  Germany, 
and  not  a  third  part  of  what  England  sends.  Yankee 
traders  are  certainly  left  entirely  behind  in  Guatemaltecan 
commerce.     Without  going  deeply  into  the  causes  which 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  311 

drive  the  United  States  from  a  natural  market,  I  will 
state  several  facts  which  an  intelligent  reader  may  inter- 
pret for  himself. 

The  largest  mercantile  houses  in  Guatemala  are  Ger- 
man ;  Americans  of  the  North  are  absent.  When  it  was 
suggested  to  the  agent  of  one  of  the  largest  cotton-mills 
in  New  England  that  the  cases  in  which  its  cloths  were 
usually  packed  for  market  could  not  be  handled  in  a  coun- 
try provided  only  with  mule  transportation,  the  Yankee 
agent  thought  it  not  worth  the  trouble  to  pack  in  smaller 
bales,  as  did  the  English  and  French  manufacturers. 
Ready-made  clothes  are  cheaper  in  France,  and  shoes  in 
Germany  and  France.  If  I  want  barbed  wire  for  my 
fences,  corrugated  iron  for  my  warehouses,  or  rails  for  my 
tramways,  my  English  correspondent  can  deliver  all  these 
to  me  on  my  wharf  at  Livingston  much  cheaper  than  I  can 
buy  any  of  these  manufactures  of  iron  in  protected  New 
York.  England,  from  her  experience  in  her  tropical  colo- 
nies, knows  how  to  prepare  merchandise,  and  what  sorts  are 
needed  for  the  trade  with  tropical  America;  she  buys  the 
crop  of  mahogany,  logwood,  and  coffee,  and  saves  exchange 
by  selling  her  own  products,  and  at  the  same  time  sup- 
ports her  own  vessels  in  the  carrying  trade.  If  it  were  not 
for  the  fresh  fruit  which  the  United  States  needs,  there 
would  probably  not  be  a  single  line  of  steamers  between 
these  countries  ;  for  on  the  Pacific  side  Guatemala  is  merely 
a  way-station.  Finally,  the  sarsaparilla  goes  to  England, 
and  is  there  manufactured  into  extract  or  syrup  for  the 
use  of  the  immense  establishments  of  patent  medicines 
in  the  United  States. 

Now  let  us  see   what   Guatemala   contributes   to   the 
needs  of  foreign  nations ;   and  I  give  a  table  of  exports 


312 


GUATEMALA. 


for  two  years,  that  the  changes  may  be  noted.  Of  the 
former  staples,  such  as  indigo  and  cochineal,  the  amount 
now  exported  is  insignificant ;  the  exportation  of  coffee  fell 
off,  owing  to  a  short  crop  ;  sugar  was  influenced  by  the 
low  prices  ruling  in  foreign  markets. 

TABLE   OF   EXPORTS. 


1S83. 

1884. 

Cwt. 

Price. 

Value. 

Cwt. 

Price. 

Value. 

Indigo 

Sugar  and  muscovado    . 
Bananas  (bunches)     .     . 

Ox-hides 

India-rubber     .... 
Timber  (feet)    .... 

Woollen  cloth  .... 

135.02 

44,927.27 

29,699.00 

160.80 

97.66 

404,069.39 

184.01 

7,577.41 

230.83 

22.34 

3,454.14 

253,504  00 

230.00 

89.00 

211.54 

332.12 

96.06 

$1.25 
.05 
.40 
.20 
.40 
.12 
.50 
.20 
.40 
.50 
.65 
.04 
25.00 
15.00 
1.50 
.10 
.40 

$16,881.25 

223,136.35 

11,876.60 

3,216.00 

8,906.40 

4,848,832.68 

9,200.50 

151,548.20 

9,233.20 

1,117.00 

224.519.10 

10,140.16 

5,750.00 

1,355.00 

31,731.00 

3  321.20 

3,682.40 

13,375.43 

145,515.60 

C2.67 

37,956.95 

54,633.00 

26.60 

14.92 

371,306  44 

8.12 

7,888  79 

248.12 

1,485.80 
352,006.00 

61.69 
632.30 
63.31 

$1.25 

.04 
.55 
.20 
.40 
.12 
.50 
.20 
.40 

.35 

.04 

1.50 
.10 
.40 

$7,833.75 

151.827.80 

30,048.15 

532.00 

596.80 

4,455.677.28 

406.00 

157,77.r).Sn 

9,924.80 

52,003.00 
14,082.64 

9,253.50 
6,323.00 
2,532.40 
6,272.21 
32,852.00 

Totals 

744,720.59 

$5,718,341.07 

826,666.26 

$4,937,941.13 

The  business  is   divided  between   the   three    principal 
ports  in  the  following  proportion  :  — 


Imports . 
Exports 


San  Jose. 

cwt. 

308,596.27 

170,615.90 


Champerico. 

cwt. 

62,789.62 

224,739.49 


Livingston. 

cwt. 
51,698.59 
31,134.12 


I  have  elsewhere  written  of  the  products  that  Guatemala 
might  export,  and  I  willingly  turn  from  the  commercial 
features  of  the  country  to  those  that  affect  the  comfort 
and  happiness  of  the  inhabitants.  A  sufficient  govern- 
ment  is  the  first  necessity.     To  sustain  this  the  people 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  313 

must  be  educated ;  and  to  develop  it  the  country  must  pos- 
sess natural  riches  and  the  opportunity  of  marketing  them. 
But  all  these  elements  work,  not  in  a  line,  but  in  a  circle, 
as  it  were.  Without  revenue,  government  cannot  provide 
for  free  education ;  without  education,  a  people  will  not 
establish  a  wise  form  of  government ;  without  a  wise 
government,  the  resources  of  the  country  cannot  be  de- 
veloped to  yield  a  proper  income.  All  these  things  are 
interdependent.  The  government  must  foster  education 
and  protect  property  ;  it  must  encourage  those  occupations 
which  increase  the  material  wealth  of  the  people.  In- 
creased wealth  means  larger  revenue,  and  permits  greater 
expenditures  for  public  works ;  so  government  and  people 
grow  together. 

Possessed  of  a  remarkably  fine  climate,  a  favorable 
geographical  situation,  and  great  variety  in  its  fertile  soil, 
Guatemala  has  a  population  poor  and  unable  to  undertake 
important  works  which  require  capital.  Money  must  there- 
fore be  sought  abroad  to  develop  the  riches  of  the  land, 
which  are  in  agricultural  products  rather  than  in  mines ; 
and  the  Government  offers  to  any  industrious,  respectable 
colonists  suitable  tracts  of  public  land  (terrenos  baldios), 
together  with  exemption  from  duties  and  taxes  for  ten 
years.  That  this  offer  may  not  seem  too  attractive,  it  must 
be  added  that  the  best  public  lands  remaining  undisposed 
of  are  remote  from  ports,  with  no  adequate  means  of 
communication.  They  are  also  covered  for  the  most 
part  with  dense  forests,  to  be  cleared  away  only  at 
great  expense.  Besides,  it  is  well  known  that  whenever 
virgin  soil  is  broken  up,  mysterious  fevers  and  malarial 
emanations  are  liberated  from  the  soil ;  and  although 
these  are    not  dangerous   to   men    of  good   constitution, 


314  GUATEMALA. 

they  certainly  are  not  pleasant.  Not  only  enterprise  and 
perseverance  are  needful  for  the  planter,  but  a  respectable 
capital  as  well ;  for  the  colonist  has  to  build  his  own 
houses,  wharves,  and  bridges,  make  his  own  roads,  and 
own  his  tools,  animals,  boats,  and  carts. 

Labor  is  both  by  the  day  and  by  the  task,  and  wages 
are  very  low.  A  day's  labor  —  from  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  to  six  at  night,  with  an  hour  from  ten  o'clock  to 
eleven  for  breakfast  (almuerzo),  and  another  from  one 
o'clock  to  two  for  rest  —  is  paid  from  twenty-five  to  fifty 
cents.  Laborers  are  also  hired  by  the  month,  with  allow- 
ance for  rations.  On  the  Atlantic  coast  the  Carib  is  a 
good,  strong  workman  when  properly  managed,  while 
in  the  interior  the  Indios  and  ladinos  supply  fully  the 
present  demand. 

Articles  of  food  are  cheap,  and  some  of  the  prices,  as 
given  by  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  are  as  follows : 
beef,  pork,  and  mutton,  eight  cents  per  pound  ;  fowls  of 
good  size,  thirty-seven  and  a  half  to  sixty-two  cents  ; 
rice,  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  two  dollars  per  arroba  (twenty- 
five  pounds)  ;  flour,  eight  to  nine  dollars  per  quintal  (one 
hundred  pounds) ;  maiz,  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  three 
dollars  a  fanega  (four  hundred  ears) ;  beans,  white, 
black,  or  red,  four  to  six  dollars  a  quintal ;  eggs,  a 
dollar  and  a  half  a  hundred ;  milk,  six  cents  a  bottle  ; 
cheese,  twelve  to  twenty-five  cents  a  pound ;  butter, 
sixty-two  cents  per  pound.  Guatemaltecan  cookery,  al- 
though simplicity  itself  in  its  instalment,  is  excellent 
and  wholesome,"  —  none  of  the  vile  saleratus-bread,  tough 
doughnuts,  and  clammy  pies  (I  have  great  respect  for 
a  good  tart)  which  are  the  curse  of  the  country  cook- 
ing of   New  England.     But   let   the    comida   consist   of 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  315 

only  tortillas,  frijoles,  and  huevos ;  these  staples  are 
always  well  cooked. 

Of  the  industrial  and  mechanical  arts  Guatemala  has 
very  little  to  show,  apart  from  the  woven  fabrics  and  pot- 
tery already  alluded  to.  Tailors  and  shoemakers  abound, 
—  and  this  in  a  climate  where  the  former  might  almost 
be  dispensed  with,  and  where  the  latter  work  for  not  a 
moiety  of  the  population.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are 
few  cabinet-makers,  although  the  native  woods  offer  the 
choicest  material  for  the  skilled  workman.  There  are  no 
foundries  or  forges  worthy  the  name,  and  all  machinery  is 
imported,  and  repairs  must  be  made  in  San  Francisco  or 
New  Orleans.  Glass,  porcelain,  and  stoneware  is  all  im- 
ported, although  the  materials,  of  the  best  quality,  are 
found  here  in  abundance.  Fibre-plants  and  rags  are  plen- 
tiful, and  the  consumption  of  paper  is  large ;  but  every 
sheet  is  imported,  —  that  used  for  stamps  being  made  in 
France.  While  coconuts,  sesame,  cohune,  castor-bean, 
and  croton  grow  abundantly,  there  is  no  commercial 
manufacture  of  the  vegetable  oils  ;  and  we  have  seen 
that  more  than  fourteen  thousand  dollars'  worth  were 
imported  in  1884. 

While  the  general  climate  of  Guatemala  is  remarkably 
healthy,  the  people  are  exceedingly  careless  of  all  sani- 
tary precautions,  especially  in  the  matter  of  drainage  and 
the  waste  products  of  the  human  body,  trusting  to  the 
intervention  of  vultures  and  dogs  to  remove  health- 
endangering  filth.  Yellow  fever  was  common  through 
the  hot  lowlands  of  the  Pacific  coast  in  1883,  and 
whooping-cough,  measles,  and  small-pox  prevailed  in 
many  parts  of  the  country.  The  consumption  of  patent 
medicines  and  empirical  preparations,  obtained  from  the 


31G 


GUATEMALA. 


apothecary  rather  than  the  physician,  is  enormous  in 
proportion  to  the  population.  Vital  statistics  are  not 
obtained  with  the  greatest  accuracy,  and  only  the  con- 
stant care  of  the  superior  officer  enables  any  result  worthy 
of  attention  to  be  obtained.  The  following  table  is  tol- 
erably accurate.  The  population  is,  as  estimated  on  De- 
cember 31  :  — 


Births. 

Deaths. 

Increase. 

Marriages. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

1881 

1,252,497 

28,146 

25,708 

53,854 

14,019 

11,940 

25,959 

27,895 

4,611 

1882 

1,276,961 

29,362 

26,697 

56,059 

16,72S 

14,867 

31,595 

24,464 

4,864 

1883 

1,278,311 

28,488 

25,934 

54,422 

28,431 

24,641 

53,072 

1,350 

4,287 

1884 

1885 

Of  the  children  born  in  1883,  41,260  were  legitimate, 
and  13,162  natural  ;  16,991  were  ladinos,  and  37,431 
Indios.  The  legitimate  children  were  in  the  proportion 
of  one  to  every  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  of  the 
ladino  population,  and  one  to  every  forty-one  of  the 
Indios.  The  natural  births  stand  one  to  each  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-three  ladinos,  and  one  to  each  two 
hundred  and  seven  Indios,  —  proportions  which  speak 
volumes  for  the  superior  morality  of  the  indigenous 
population. 

No  less  than  nine  hospitals  were  supported  by  the 
Government  in  1883,  —  one  each  in  Antigua,  Amatitlan, 
Escuintla,  Quezaltenango,  Retalhuleu,  and  Chiquimula, 
and  three  in  Guatemala  City.  In  these  11,998  patients 
were  treated  during  the  year,  with  the  result  of  one  death 
to  every  thirteen  treated.     Of  the   diseases  from  which 


THE  EEPUBLIC  OF  GUATEMALA.         317 

patients  died,  the  following  is  a  list  of  all  numbering  over 
ten  victims  :  — 

Consumption 75 

Fever  (perniciosa) 74 

Dysenteiy 68 

Enterocolitis 63 

Yellow  fever 52 

Enteritis 42 

Pneumonia 33 

Alcoholism 24 

Small-pox 18 

Cachexia  paludica 18 

Typhoid  fever 11 

Of  the  consumptive  patients,  probably  the  majority 
were  foreigners  seeking  safety  in  the  mild  climate  of 
Guatemala ;  and  in  the  others  the  disease  was  not  of 
throat  origin,  but  sprang  from  that  unclean  state  that 
wise  physicians  are  beginning  to  recognize  as  phthisical  in 
its  tendency. 

I  wish  I  could  say  more  of  the  remedies  of  the  Indios. 
In  a  land  abounding  in  healing  plants,  it  would  be  sup- 
posed that  the  inhabitants  would  be  expert  in  their  quali- 
ties ;  and  so  the  Indios  are,  if  report  may  be  trusted  (they 
are  said  to  cure  even  hernia,  by  applying  astringent  herbs 
to  the  tumor).  But  they  are  shy,  and  unwilling  to 
display  their  knowledge  before  strangers  ;  and  my  stay 
among  them  was  too  short  to  invite  their  confidence. 
The  Caribs  do  not  seem  to  possess  much  knowledge  of 
the  healing  art. 

From  the  bodily  ills  of  a  people  one  turns  naturally  to 
the  moral  diseases ;  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  what  are 
the  crimes  and  misdemeanors  to  which  punishments  are 
most  frequently  allotted.     Of  9,303  persons  tried  during 


;i8 


GUATEMALA. 


the  course  of  1883,  6,125  were  accused  of  misdemeanors 
(faltas).  and  3,178  of  crimes  (delitos).  Of  the  former 
class  7G-4  were  acquitted,  while  of  those  tried  for  crimes 
1,515  were  judged  not  guilty,  —  leaving  only  1,663  crim- 
inals out  of  a  population  of  a  million  and  a  quarter. 
The  carefully  prepared  tables  published  each  year  by  the 
Government  show  that  there  is  hardly  one  delinquent  for 
each  thousand  inhabitants  ;  that  notwithstanding  the 
greatly  inferior  numbers  of  the  ladinos,  this  class  claims 
many  more  convicts ;  and  that  eighty  per  cent  of  the 
criminals  have  no  education. 


Crimes  or  Delitos. 

Males. 

Fe- 
males. 

L:idi- 
nos. 

Indios. 

Read. 

Write. 

Unedu- 
cated. 

Single. 

Mar- 
ried. 

Total. 

Against  authority 

133 

6 

Ill 

28 

8 

48 

83 

56 

&3 

139 

A<-;iults  .     .     .     . 

56 

5 

51 

10 

6 

18 

37 

37 

24 

61 

Wounding    .     .     . 

396 

21 

298 

119 

19 

82 

315 

215 

301 

417 

Homicide      .     . 

188 

15 

117 

86 

4 

46 

153 

107 

96 

203 

Bodily  injuries . 

312 

35 

202 

145 

12 

40 

295 

174 

173 

847 

Adultery        .     .     . 

55 

55 

69 

41 

i 

24 

79 

25 

85 

110 

Seduction     .     .     . 

38 

24 

14 

1 

9 

28 

31 

7 

38 

Rape 

42 

41 

1 

4 

20 

18 

33 

9 

42 

Lewdness      .     .     . 

68 

50 

18 

i 

18 

43 

49 

19 

68 

Injurias   .     .     .     . 

80 

50 

106 

24 

14 

29 

87 

62 

68 

130 

Cuttle  stealing  .     . 

74 

40 

34 

14 

60 

26 

48 

74 

Tricks      .     .     .     . 

39 

10 

44 

5 

4 

22 

23 

34 

15 

49 

Robbery  .     .     .     . 

32 

5 

33 

4 

2 

12 

23 

31 

6 

37 

Larceny   .     .     .    . 

303 

49 

204 

88 

13 

80 

250 

2ns 

144 

352 

Against  liquor  laws 

276 

316 

313 

279 

23 

60 

509 

175 

417 

5!  <2 

Smuggling  tobacco 

25 

12 

25 

12 

1 

8 

28 

11 

26 

37 

Defrauding  . 

95 

10 

71 

99 

4 

16 

150 

61 

109 

170 

Desertion      .     .     . 

49 

48 

1 

1 

7 

41 

28 

21 

49 

All  other  delitos    . 

227 

36 

188 

75 

18 

84 

161 

126 

137 

236 

24S8 

690 

2095 

1083 

148 

639 

2392 

1489 

1688 

3178 

Included  in  the  '"'other  delitos"  are  several  crimes 
much  more  common  in  New  England  and  elsewhere,  — 
perjury,  nine  ;  libel,  fifteen  ;  arson,  thirteen  ;  poisoning, 
three  ;  infanticide,  four ;  bribery,  two  ;  abandonment  of 
infants,  four.  In  Livingston  the  "  Court "  kindly  con- 
sented to  sit  for  its  portrait ;  and  although  this  abode  of 
the  blind  goddess  was  very  dark,  I  got  a  satisfactory 
picture.     I  also  photographed  a  man  sitting  in  the  stocks 


THE  REPUBLIC  OF  GUATEMALA. 


119 


and  undergoing  a  whipping  ;  but  this  the  principal  citizens 
prayed  me  to  suppress. 


Misdemeanors  or  faltas. 

Males. 

Females. 

Ladinos. 

Indios. 

Read. 

Write. 

Unedu- 
cated. 

Single. 

Man  ied 

Against  public  order    .     . 
"        municipal  law 
"        persons  .... 
"        property      .     .     . 
"       military  discipline 

3,680 
146 
933 
152 
37 

740 
13 

393 
31 

1,679 
111 
832 
141 
21 

2,520 

38 

387 

42 

16 

170 

8 

34 

3 

5 

496 
29 

157 

20 

5 

3,466 

87 
879 
144 

27 

1,861 
69 

620 
107 
13 

2,276 

55 

453 

41 

24 

4,948 

1,177 

2,784 

3,003 

220 

707 

4,603 

2,674 

2,849 

A  notable  fact  in  regard  to  punishments  in  Guatemala 
is  their  publicity.  In  New  England  every  effort  is  made 
to  conceal  criminals  from  public  gaze ;  the  punishment 
which  is  intended  to  deter  others  from  a  similar  act  is, 
foolishly  enough,  merely  a  matter  of  hearsay  to  the  bulk 
of  the  population.  A  silly  sentimentality  bides  the  con- 
victs in  prisons  better  and  more  commodious  than  the 
homes  of  a  majority  of  the  people,  feeds  them  with  suffi- 
cient and  wholesome  food,  and  in  general  wastes  more 
pity  on  them  than  it  vouchsafes  to  the  honest  poor,  — 
and  all  this  at  the  expense  of  innocent  citizens  !  In 
Guatemala  I  examined  many  prisons,  finding  them  all 
open  to  inspection.  The  passer-by  can  see  through  the 
grated  door  of  the  car  eel  all  the  prisoners  within. 
When  finally  sentenced,  the  criminals  are  put  upon  the 
public  roads  and  set  to  work  under  guard  and  chained,  so 
that  every  one  may  be  reminded  that  the  "  way  of  trans- 
gressors is  hard."  In  the  prisons  they  sleep  on  mats,  and 
receive  from  the  Government  a  real  (twelve  and  a  half 
cents)  a  day,  with  which  to  buy  food.  In  the  new  pris- 
ons  all   the   modern  improvements  are   introduced,  and 


320  GUATEMALA. 

hard  labor  is  provided  in  great  variety.  I  believe  also 
that  as  large  a  proportion  of  crimes  is  detected  and 
punished  as  in  any  other  country.  I  have  been  enabled 
to  follow  several  cases  through  the  courts,  and  found  the 
decisions  in  strict  accordance  with  the  law,  both  in  crimi- 
nal and  civil  actions. 

It  would  be  unfair  to  pass  in  complete  silence  the  darker 
scenes  in  the  life  of  the  Guatemaltecan  republic ;  but  I 
confess  to  an  ignorance  as  to  the  exact  truth  of  the  stories 
that  have  been  whispered  about,  —  whispers  indeed  that 
I  heard  myself  while  in  the  City  of  Guatemala.  Distin- 
guished members  of  the  old  conservative  party  assured 
me  that  they  lived  in  daily  dread  of  the  Government. 
Spies  and  informers  were  ready  at  all  times  to  entrap 
them  if  in  an  unguarded  moment  they  should  utter  their 
opinion  of  the  political  situation,  or  condemn  official  cor- 
ruption. Trial  by  court-martial  —  that  most  odious  form 
of  injustice  —  might  result  in  their  banishment  or  death  ; 
and  I  was  told  that  the  laws,  however  generally  wise, 
really  depended  on  the  caprice  of  the  President,  who 
could  suspend  or  annul  them  whenever  he  saw  occasion. 
I  am  sure  that  these  persons  believed  what  they  told  me 
with  bated  breath ;  but  I  also  know  to  what  extreme 
opinions  political  dislikes  will  lead  in  these  Southern 
republics.  On  the  death  of  Barrios  and  the  accession  of 
Barillas,  it  is  said  that  eight  hundred  political  prisoners 
were  released  from  the  prisons  where  they  had  been  im- 
mured by  the  late  President,  often  without  even  the  form 
of  a  trial.  The  universal  rule  of  favoritism  is  too  evi- 
dent to  be  concealed,  and  the  amigo  del  Presidente  has 
certainly  undue  power.  To  our  Northern  haste  the  tedious 
delay  of  all  official  work   is  a  marked  contrast,  for  the 


THE   REPUBLIC   OF   GUATEMALA.  321 

officials  have  not  the  skill,  wisdom,  or  cunning  of  the  mem- 
bers of  our  Northern  legislatures,  who  remain  in  session  an 
unconscionable  time,  apparently  overwhelmed  with  work, 
although  when  they  at  last  adjourn,  the  records  show  scant 
results.  The  Government  of  Guatemala  is  republican  in 
name  only,  the  President  having  actually  as  much  irre- 
sponsible power  as  the  Czar ;  but  so  far  as  actually  proved, 
this  power  is  used  with  moderation,  and  is  perhaps  a  po- 
litical necessity  of  the  country  and  race,  however  repug- 
nant to  Anglo-Saxon  ideas.  As  in  all  small  governments, 
there  is  much  form  and  red-tape,  and  the  individual  or 
company  who  has  business  with  the  authorities  must  have 
an  accredited  agent  at  the  seat  of  Government  to  present 
petitions,  press  suit,  or  patiently  await  the  result ;  no 
person  at  a  distance  has  any  prospect  of  prompt  attention. 
With  the  exception  of  some  of  the  higher  officials,  there 
are  but  few  Guatemaltecans  who  really  welcome  foreign- 
ers, and  among  the  Iudios  there  is  little  attempt  to  con- 
ceal the  feelings  of  jealousy  or  distrust  with  which 
outsiders  are  regarded.  While  the  future  growth  of  the 
country  depends  on  the  introduction  of  foreign  capital, 
there  are  not  many,  now  that  Barrios  is  no  more,  who 
will  dare  to  offend  popular  prejudices  by  openly  taking 
the  part  of  foreigners  who  either  have  invested  capital 
here,  or  intend  to  do  so.  The  popular  idea  of  the  day  is 
a  renewed  confederation  of  the  five  republics,  with  Guate- 
mala at  the  head ;  this  means  no  extension  of  for- 
eign relations,  but  the  impotent  self-sufficiency  that  has 
always  distinguished  Central  America  and  retarded  her 
advance. 

Many  indications  point  to  an  attempt  in  the  near  future 
to  renew  the  confederation  of  the  five  republics,  and  it  is 

21 


322  GUATEMALA. 

not  improbable  that  Mexico  may  be  included  in  the  Cen- 
tral American  Estados  Unidos.  It  was  the  ambition  of 
General  Barrios  to  become  emperor  or  president  (the  name 
matters  little)  of  all  Central  America ;  and  he  lost  his  life 
in  the  attempt.  His  death  will  not  deter  the  politicians 
of  the  several  States  from  attempting  a  revolution  which 
may  aggrandize  their  private  fortunes  in  the  general  dis- 
turbance. If  Mexico —  a  very  inferior  nation  both  in  the 
character  of  her  population  and  in  natural  resources  — 
could  be  left  out,  it  would  seem  very  possible  to  unite 
again  the  fortunes  of  Guatemala,  Honduras,  San  Salva- 
dor, Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica ;  but  such  a  confederacy 
would  not  attract  foreign  capital  as  readily  as  a  treaty 
alliance  between  quite  independent  republics,  owing  to  a 
widespread  distrust  of  the  permanency  of  any  confed- 
eracy. If  the  laws  of  the  United  States  stretched  to 
the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  doubtless  capital  would  eagerly 
enter  this  rich  field ;  but  at  present  it  is  as  safe  under 
the  laws  of  Guatemala  as  under  those  of  any  Central 
American  country. 

As  England  and  Germany  always  protect  the  interests 
of  their  subjects  wherever  invested,  and  as  the  United 
States  Government  has  neither  the  will  nor  the  power  to 
guard  the  interests  of  her  people  in  foreign  lands,  it  is 
not  strange  that  Englishmen  and  Germans  embark  in 
profitable  enterprises  in  the  Central-American  Republics 
while  Americans  hesitate.  At  present  we  have  to  trust 
for  our  commercial  rights  to  the  general  laws  of  na- 
tions and  the  favorable  inclinations  of  the  existing 
Government. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS. 

rr^ROPICAL  vegetation  cannot  well  be  described ;  but 
L  the  fact  that  even  when  seen  it  is  hard  to  un- 
derstand, need  not  prevent  an  attempt  to  sketch  the 
general  features.  The  real  trouble  that  meets  the 
novice  on  the  threshold  of  the  tropics  is  the  utter 
inadequacy  of  the  English  language  to  express  the 
variety  and  luxuriance  he  sees  in  the  vegetable  world. 
Even  in  color  his  vocabulary  fails  him,  and  he  must 
include  in  the  name  "  green "  so  many  distinct  tints 
that  at  last  he  relinquishes  the  difficult  task  and  falls 
back  upon  the  commonplace  epithets,  or  leaves  his  tale 
untold.  In  the  abundance,  in  the  confusion,  of  plant-life 
the  observer  sees  that  as  he  goes  from  shore  to  moun- 
tain the  trees  and  plants  are  not  the  same,  and  he  will 
readily  divide  the  vegetation  into  four  tolerably  dis- 
tinct regions ;  these  are  the  Shore,  the  River-bottoms, 
the  Upland,  and  the  Arid  plain. 

On  all  the  low  Cayos  that  are  almost  awash  with 
every  wave,  and  on  the  low  margin  of  the  mainland, 
extending  up  the  wide  rivers  for  miles,  are  the  man- 
groves (Rhizophora  mangle),  giving  the  landscape  a 
dull  look  not  at  all  attractive.  They  make  indeed  a 
hedge  of  interlaced  branches  and  tangled  roots  inhos- 
pitably   forbidding    landing    on    the    shores.     In    their 


324  GUATEMALA. 

branches  are  orchids,  bromeliads,  and  other  showy 
plants,  while  above  all  this  comparatively  low  bush  rises 
the  graceful  coco  or  the  confra  (Manicaria  Plukenetii). 
The  presence  of  mangroves  is  usually  considered  an 
indication  of  the  haunt  of  malaria,  but  on  insufficient 
grounds ;  for  when  these  trees  are  cleared  away,  the 
shore  is  admirably  suited  for  coconuts,  which  with 
equal  unreason  are  popularly  regarded  as  token  of  a 
salubrious  climate. 

As  we  follow  up  the  rivers  from  the  shore,  we  see 
the  mangroves  breaking  their  dense  wall,  while  reeds 
and  bambus  fill  the  gaps ;  until  at  last  mangroves  have 
disappeared,  as  the  rich  valleys  are  reached.  And  now 
no  one,  or  two.  or  six  species  can  claim  supremacy. 
Two  trees  are,  however,  prominent,  where  man  has  not 
interfered,  —  the  cohune  and  the  mahogany ;  both  trees 
of  attractive  form  and  size,  and  both  by  their  presence 
indicating  the  richest  soil.  The  unspoiled  forest  of  the 
river  region  presents  a  wonderful  variety  above  the 
ground ;  but  among  its  roots  the  exceptionally  rich  soil 
is  almost  bare,  dwarf  palms,  wild  bananas,  gingers,  and 
ferns  scantily  covering  its  surface.  From  the  trees  hang 
long  vines  (vejacos),  some  of  them  of  value  for  cordage, 
others,  as  the  paullinia  (P.  sorbilis)  and  zarza  (S?ni- 
lax  sp.),  possessed  of  medicinal  properties,  while  others 
are  full  of  grateful  sap.  Endless  variety  reigns,  and  on 
every  side  the  puzzled  observer  sees  different  trees. 
Often  the  stems  are  so  covered  with  orchids,  aroids,  and 
other  parasitic  and  climbing  plants  that  they  can  hardly 
be  recognized,  and  their  leaves  and  flowers  are  but  a 
part  of  the  fresh  canopy  some  sixty  feet  or  more  above 
the   ground.     From  a   mountain   ridge  this  forest  looks 


m       H 


VEGETABLE   AND   ANIMAL   PRODUCTIONS.  325 

like  a  level  plain,  even  as  the  top  of  a  well-trimmed 
hedge ;  its  surface  is  here  and  there  broken  by  the 
giant  mahogany,  or  seamed  by  the  river  and  its  afflu- 
ents. Rosewood,  cedar,  palo  de  mulatto,  cacao,  figs,1 
are  all  here,  and  the  palms,  from  the  noble  cohune  to 
the  insignificant  chamaedoras,  are  plentifully  scattered 
among  the  other  trees.  During  the  season  of  flowers  the 
brilliant  yellow  of  the  wild  tamarind  (Schizolobium), 
the  equally  bright  magenta  of  the  Palo  de  Cortez,  and 
the  white  of  the  plumosa,  appear  to  the  observer  from 
above  like  a  rich  mosaic,  while  all  this  color  is  invisi- 
ble to  one  who  is  beneath  these  trees.  All  vegetation 
here  is  not  merely  luxuriant,  it  is  composite.  There 
are  no  solitary  trees,  no  hermits,  in  the  vegetable  world. 
Every  trunk  is  but  a  trellis  for  vines,  some  of  them, 
like  the  matapalo,  strangling  the  fostering  tree,  or  a 
nest  for  plants  that  do  not  seem  able  to  get  up  in  the 
forest  on  their  own  steins.  If  I  find  a  branch  in 
blossom,  I  must  make  sure  that  it  is  of  the  tree  it- 
self, and  not  part  of  some  mistletoe-like  hanger-on. 
I  have  seen  single  trees  bearing  on  their  trunk  and 
branches  enough  orchids  and  other  choice  plants  to 
stock  a  hothouse.  The  matapalo  deserves  more  than 
a  passing  word,  for  it  is  the  type  of  a  numerous  group 
of  plants  in  the  tropics.  This  vine  may  start  from 
the  ground,  but  quite  as  often  it  germinates  in  the 
hollow  of  a  branch,  or  among  the  other  parasites  of 
the  higher  branches ;  in  either  case  it  is  at  first  a 
slender,   innocent-looking    vine,   clinging    timidly  to  the 

1  These  are  not  the  edible  figs,  but  many  varieties  of  the  fig  family  that 
form  an  important  food  for  monkeys  and  birds.  In  the  latter  part  of  this 
book  1   have  given  a  list  of  the  more  important  trees  of  this  forest  region. 


326 


GUATEMALA. 


tree  for  support  and   protection.     Soon  the  vine   grows 
until  its  proportions   resemble  those  of   a  huge  serpent, 


Matapalo  Tree. 


and  it  has  reached  the  topmost  branches   and  mingled 
its    own   foliage   and  flowers  with  those    of   its   trellis. 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     327 

The  standard  tree  is  from  that  moment  doomed,  and 
wastes  away  in  the  murderous  grasp  of  the  vegetable 
anaconda.  The  matapalo  may  fall  in  the  ruin  of  its 
decaying  foster-parent,  but  not  infrequently  it  has  pre- 
pared for  the  emergency  by  sending  out  many  a  guy 
and  splitting  the  main  stem  into  numerous  buttresses, 
so  that  it  can  stand  alone  —  a  very  remarkable  tree,  and 
one  often  used  as  a  boundary-mark. 

In  this  region  of  the  river-bottoms  we  could  linger 
long ;  but  it  must  be  left,  for  a  scientific  description  of 
its  treasures  would  fill  many  volumes  of  the  size  of 
this,  and  the  explorer  has  not  yet  collected *  the  mate- 
rial needed.  Any  botanist  who  would  devote  three 
months  to  the  thorough  exploration  of  the  valley  for- 
ests of  Guatemala  ought  to  add  not  less  than  a  hun- 
dred new  species  to  the  flora  of  the  region,  and  also 
determine  the  species  of  most  of  the  beautiful  cabinet 
woods  now  known  only  by  their  native  names.2 

Climbing  the  hills  brings  one  to  a  very  distinct  vegeta- 
tion, and  here  in  the  uplands  are  trees  in  masses ;  that  is, 
there  are  whole  forests  of  one  or  two  species,  and  the 
representatives  of  the  kinds  most  common  in  the  cooler 
regions  are  found  here.     There  are  pine-trees  as  much  as 

1  Professor  Sereno  Watson,  of  the  Harvard  College  Herbarium,  collected, 
during  two  winter  months  in  the  Department  of  Izabal,  five  hundred  spe- 
cies of  plants,  many  of  them  new  to  science  (Proceedings  of  the  American 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  vol.  xxi.  pp.  456  et  seq.).  Notes  of  some 
of  these  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix.  He  collected  no  less  than  twenty- 
five  species  of  palms. 

2  In  the  Appendix  will  be  found  a  list  of  the  woods  under  their  local 
names  ;  but  as  these  vary  in  the  different  provinces,  it  will  be  of  little 
use  in  determining  the  trees  from  which  they  are  obtained.  Rosewood  is 
said  to  be  furnished  by  at  least  three  trees  not  connected  botanically,  and 
the  application  of  the  name  "  cedar  "  is  as  puzzling. 


328  GUATEMALA. 

eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  spruces  of  little  less  size.  Oaks 
also  of  several  species  are  abundant ;  but  the  palm  family 
almost  disappears  in  the  dryer  soil,  only  the  cabbage- 
palm  climbing  out  of  the  rich  lowlands,  —  and  that  is  not 
abundant  enough  to  give  character  to  the  vegetation. 
While  in  the  lowlands  the  ground  is  devoid  of  sod,  here 
the  grass  carpets  the  soil,  extending  to  the  very  tree-trunks, 
and  is  kept  in  fine  order  by  the  numerous  sheep.  Agaves 
are  found  on  the  hillsides,  creepers  like  the  clematis  take 
the  place  of  the  vejucos,  and  stevias,  bouvardias,  and 
dahlias  that  of  gingers  and  marantas. 

The  fourth  region  is  quite  as  distinct  as  either  of  the 
others.  It  comprises  the  dry  lava  plains  where  the 
changes  of  diurnal  temperature  are  considerable,  and 
where  the  soil,  though  rich,  is  scant  and  insufficiently 
watered.  Here  are  found  the  calabash-tree  (Crescentia 
cujete),  espina  blanca,  or  gum  arabic,  and  the  cockspur 
(Acacia  spadicifera)  ;  while  a  coarse  grass  covers  the 
ground  between  the  lava  blocks. 

In  Guatemala  there  are  two  families  of  plants,  —  Palm 
and  Orchid,  —  presenting  numerous  species  and  of  at- 
tractive and  beautiful  appearance,  at  the  same  time  by  no 
means  devoid  of  commercial  importance. 

Chief  among  palms  stands  the  cohune  (Attalea  cohune), 
known  also  as  manaca  and  corozo.  When  young,  the 
palm  has  no  stem,  its  enormous  leaves  rising  from  the 
ground  more  than  thirty  feet.  The  rhachis,  or  midrib,  of 
the  pinnate  fronds  is  of  a  rich  red  color,  and  larger  round 
than  a  man's  wrist,  the  distinct,  conduplicate  divisions 
being  long  and  broad.  Mr.  Morris  estimates  a  leaf  he 
saw  in  British  Honduras  at  sixty  feet  in  length  and  eight 
feet  in  breadth.     I  have  never  seen  one  more  than  forty 


VEGETABLE   AND   ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.  329 

feet  long  and  five  wide  ;  but  this  is  not  an  uncommon  size 
of  the  manaca  as  it  is  cut  for  thatching,  one  leaf  extend- 
ing across  the  roof.  After  remaining  some  years  in  the 
manaca  state,  the  stem  begins  to  elongate,  and  as  it 
rises,  the  leaves  become  smaller,  as  is  the  case  with  the 
coconut  and  other  palms  so  far  as  known.  The  leaf-stems 
are  persistent,  giving  the  tree  a  rough,  untidy  look,  but 
doubtless  having  a  purpose  to  fulfil  in  the  economy  of 
Nature.  This  palm  is  now  known  as  corozo,  and  begins 
to  fruit.  The  male  inflorescence  is  an  immense  mass  of 
more  than  thirty  thousand  staminate  flowers  in  a  com- 
pound raceme  between  four  and  five  feet  long ;  these  have 
a  heavy,  not  disagreeable  odor,  and  attract  a  great  many 
bees  and  wasps,  so  that  on  one  occasion  the  niozo  who 
climbed  the  stem  and  cut  for  me  a  fine  specimen  was 
badly  stung.  These  insects  were  so  persistent  after  a 
great  deal  of  shaking  that  the  camera  was  used  as 
quickly  as  possible,  specimens  were  saved,  and  the  spadix 
was,  with  the  too-attractive  flowers,  thrown  into  the 
river.  The  pollen,  which  under  the  microscope  shows 
a  form  exactly  like  a  baker's  roll,  is  in  such  abundance 
from  the  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  stamens  that 
it  would  fill  a  pint  measure.  The  spathe,  or  cover  of 
the  inflorescence,  looks  like  leather,  is  deeply  furrowed 
on  the  outside,  and  would  make  a  commodious  bath-tub 
for  a  child.  The  fertile  spadix  has  shorter  branches, 
with  the  rather  large  flowers  succeeded  by  from  five  to  ten 
nuts,  the  whole  bunch,  which  is  about  five  feet  long  and 
weighs  more  than  a  hundred  pounds,  bearing  from  eight 
hundred  to  a  thousand  nuts.  These  nuts  are  two  and  a 
half  inches  long,  and  covered  with  a  fibrous  husk  and  so 
thick  a  shell  that  the  valuable  kernel  cannot  be  extracted 


330 


GUATEMALA. 


Attalea  Cohune. 

A   Staminate  blossoms.  C    Cluster  of  unripe  7>uts. 

B   Stem  of  same.  D    Transverse  section  of  nut. 

E   Longitudinal  section  of  nut. 

in  quantity  without  powerful  and  expensive  machinery. 
Like  the  coconut,  the  fruit  is  normally  three-celled.  But 
as  in  that  palm  two  of  the  cells  give  up  the  struggle  for 


CHOC  UN   PALMS. 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.      331 

existence  in  early  life,  so  in  the  cohune  ;  and  I  have  never, 
in  the  scores  of  nuts  opened,  found  more  than  one  cell. 
Professor  Watson  has  noticed  two  cells  in  several  speci- 
mens, but  never  three.  In  the  illustration  of  this  palm 
the  bunch  of  nearly  ripe  nuts  is  clearly  shown,  and  in  the 
diagram  of  flowers  and  fruit  the  fibrous  husks  and  the 
abortive  cells  may  be  seen.  The  natives  crush  the  ripe 
nuts  between  stones,  and  after  pounding  the  rather  small 
kernel  in  a  mahogany  mortar,  boil  the  resulting  cake 
until  the  oil  floats ;  this  is  skimmed  off  and  boiled  again, 
to  drive  out  the  water.  The  average  yield  is  a  quart  of 
oil  from  a  hundred  nuts.  The  oil  is  said  to  be  superior 
to  coconut-oil,  a  pint  of  it  giving  as  much  light,  or  rather 
burning  as  long,  as  a  quart  of  the  latter.1  It  is  not 
probable  that  the  manufacture  will  pay  in  the  presence 
of  the  more  tractable  coconut.  As  the  cohune  grows 
older,  the  hitherto  persistent  leaf-stems  drop,  the  scars 
disappear,  and  the  smooth  stem  rises  thirty  to  fifty  feet 
clear  to  the  crown  of  leaves  at  the  summit. 

The  pimento-palm  has  a  small  cinnamon-colored  stem 
much  used  for  house  building,  as  is  also  the  poknoboy 
(Bactris  balanoidea).  The  warree  cohune  (Bactris  co- 
Jnme),  armed  with  spines,  bears  an  edible  nut  much  easier 
to  crack  than  the  larger  fruit  of  the  attalea.  The  cab- 
bage-palm (Oreodoxa  oleracea)  is  common  in  the  upper 
valleys,  and  the  base  of  the  leaf  is  a  very  poor  cabbage, 
nor  is  it  eaten  to  any  extent.  In  the  forests  the  pacaya 
(Euterjje  edulis)  is  a  slender  tree,  the  unexpanded  flower- 
buds  being  the  edible  part ;  and  these  are  on  sale  in  the 

1  Mr.  Coffin,  the  hospitable  magistrate  at  Punta  Gorda,  gave  me  some  of  the 
best  oil  ;  and  in  the  limited  experiments  I  have  tried  with  it,  its  properties  much 
resemble  those  of  coconut-oil. 


332 


GUATEMALA. 


market-places  tied  in  neat  and  attractive  bundles.  In 
taste  it  is  rather  insipid.  On  the  ridges  the  Acrocomia 
sclerocavpa  flourishes  ;  its  stem  is,  like  the 
warree  cohune,  armed  with  formidable  spines, 
which  serve  as  pins,  needles,  and  awls.  The 
Acrocomia  vinifera  also  is  common  in  the 
valley  of  the  Motagua.  Along  the  river- 
banks  the  Desmoncus.  a  climbing  palm,  is 
very  common  and  very  troublesome  to  the 
explorer ;  but  it  shows  such  a  curious  adap- 
tation of  parts  to  special  ends  that  its  bad 
qualities  may  be  overlooked  by  the  natural- 
ist. It  is  generally  understood  that  in  the 
foliage  of  palms  the  palmate  form  is  the 
earlier,  and  that  the  growth  or  development 
of  the  midrib  results  in  a  pinnate  or  feather 
form.  This  is  seen  to  be  the  case  in  the 
coco-palm,  where  the  first  leaves  are  palmate 
or  fan-shaped  ;  but  when  the  palm  is  a  few 
months  old  it  puts  off  these  childish  gar- 
ments and  dons  the  toga  virilis  in  the  pinnate 
form.  In  the  desmoncus  the  development 
does  not  stop  with  the  mere  lengthening 
of  the  midrib,  but  transforms  the  leaflets 
at  the  end  into  claws  to  aid  the  limp 
stem  to  climb  into  sunlight.  Here  is  a  leaf- 
tip  to  show  how  this  is  done ;  the  ribs  of 
the  leaflets,  instead  of  expanding  into  thin 
blades,  have  thickened  and  bent  backward  to 
serve  as  the  barbs  of  an  arrow  and  allow  mo- 
tion in  one  direction  only.  The  leaf  can  push 
the  stiffly  bent  fingers  through  the  thick  foliage,  where 


I  ¥ 


Leaf-tip  of 
Climbing    Palm 


VEGETABLE   AND   ANIMAL   PRODUCTIONS.  333 

they  stick  fast  and  hold  up  the  stem.  The  rattan-palm 
( Calamus  rotang)  of  the  East  Indies  climbs  over  the  trees 
in  a  similar  way.  The  Guatemalan  climber  bears  a  small 
cluster  of  spiny  but  edible  nuts.  The  graceful  little 
Chamaedoreas  may  be  found  in  flower  or  fruit  at  almost 
any  season  of  the  year,  and  their  slender  stems  make  good 
walking-sticks.  The  confra  (Manicaria  Plukenetii),  so 
useful  for  thatching,  grows  only  near  the  sea,  usually 
in  clumps  of  five  or  more.  The  nut  is  globular  when  one- 
celled,  and  about  two  inches  in  diameter.  The  coco 
(Cocos  nucifera)  is  too  well  known  to  need  description, 
though  we  shall  consider  the  commercial  importance  of 
the  nuts  presently.  Of  the  other  fifty  or  more  species  of 
palms  few  have  been  identified,  and  their  local  names 
have  no  meaning  for  us. 

To  the  family  of  orchids  the  collector  is  sure  to  turn 
with  eagerness  ;  but  I  must  confess  that  the  brilliant  colors 
and  bizarre  forms  of  these  flowers  are  not  attractive  to 
me.  They  are  parasites ;  and  although  possessing  a  com- 
mercial value  far  above  many  more  beautiful  and  honest 
flowers,  only  the  vanilla  has  any  useful  qualities,  so  far 
as  known.  The  vanilla  moreover  is  an  article  of  luxury, 
not  necessity ;  for  doubtless  the  chemist  will  discover, 
if  he  has  not  already  done  so,  a  substitute  in  some  of 
the  thousand  and  one  products  of  the  decomposition  of 
coal-tar. 

All  along  the  coast  the  Epidendrum  bicornutum  and 
the  Scliomburghia  tibicina  are  very  common,  affecting 
mangroves  especially.  On  orange-trees  in  the  Motagua 
valley  grows  a  bright  little  yellow  Oncidimn,  the  flower 
being  the  largest  part  of  the  plant.  In  the  mountains  is 
an  orchid  which  bears  several  long  spikes  of  rich  purple 


334  GUATEMALA. 

flowers,  which  with  the  pure  white  clusters  of  a  ground 
orchid  are  much  used  in  church  decoration.  So  little  is 
popularly  known  of  the  vanilla  (  V.  planifolia)  that  I  may 
be  pardoned  for  quoting  from  Mr.  Morris  the  directions 
lately  issued  from  his  Botanical  Department  of  Jamaica, 
which  are  entirely  applicable  to  the  plant  in  Guatemala. 
In  the  Chocon  forests  it  grows  abundantly  and  fruits 
naturally,  the  insect  needed  to  fertilize  the  flowers  being 
present ;  and  the  pods  are  of  excellent  quality. 

Vanilla.  —  "  This  is  a  vigorous,  soft-stemmed  vine,  the 
cured  fruits  of  wrhich  are  the  valuable  vanilla-beans  of 
commerce.  If  cuttings  are  taken,  their  upper  ends,  or 
portion  to  appear  above  ground,  may  readily  be  deter- 
mined by  examination  of  the  base  of  the  attached  leaf, 
in  the  axil  or  upper  face  of  which  is  a  small  growth-bud. 
Cut  the  stem  with  say  three  or  four  joints  at  one  fourth 
of  an  inch  below  the  basal  node  or  joint,  then  place  the 
base  of  each  cutting  shallowly  in  prepared  soil  against 
the  bole  or  trunk  of  a  rough-barked,  low-branching  tree, 
as,  for  instance,  calabash,  or  on  a  low-trellised  frame 
three  or  four  feet  high,  the  supports  of  which  should 
be  unbarked  logwood,  yoke,  or  calabash. 

"  If  the  insect  which  fertilizes  the  flowers  of  this 
orchid  in  its  natural  habitat  is  not  present,  in  order 
to  secure  a  crop  of  fruit  it  is  necessary  that  the  flowers 
should  be  artificially  fertilized.  This  may  be  easily 
accomplished  as  follows.  In  the  flower  is  a  central 
white  column,  at  the  summit  of  which  is  a  detachable 
cap  or  anther,  which  if  touched  on  the  lower  front  edge 
with  a  sharpened  pencil  or  knife-blade  will  adhere  to  the 
implement.  The  pollen  masses  contained  in  the  anther 
must  then  be  made  lightly  to  touch  the  sticky  disk  sit- 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     335 

uatecl  on  the  front  of  the  column.  Each  flower  must  he 
so  treated  at  or  about  noon  of  the  day  on  which  it 
opens. 

"  To  cure  vanilla-beans,  gather  when  full,  steep  for 
about  two  minutes  in  boiling  water,  and  place  in  flannel 
to  dry  in  the  sun.  When  perfectly  dry,  place  them  the 
next  day  on  plates  of  iron  or  tin,  anointing  once  or  twice 
with  sweet  oil,  to  keep  them  soft  and  plump.  Complete 
the  curing  process  by  exposing  them  carefully  in  the  sun 
for  several  days  [weeks].  When  quite  cured  they  should 
have  a  uniformly  rich  brown  color,  and  the  full  fragrance 
of  this  valuable  product." 

In  my  own  experience  I  have  found  it  very  diffi- 
cult properly  to  dry  the  pods  in  the  damp  atmosphere 
of  the  rainy  season  on  the  coast,  and  prefer  to  use 
the  hot-air  dryers  now  generally  used  for  tea,  coffee, 
cacao,  etc. 

Of  the  family  of  ferns  little  need  be  said.  The 
gold-fern  (Gymnogramma  aurea)  is  a  common  weed  at 
Livingston,  and  adiantums,  lygodiums,  and  selaginellas 
are  found  everywhere  in  the  forests.  While  the  small 
ferns  are  abundant,  tree-ferns  are  very  scarce,  only  one 
specimen  being  seen  (in  the  forests  of  El  Mico),  and  that 
not  a  fine  one. 

Mahogany.  —  From  the  small  extent  of  coast-line  pos- 
sessed by  Guatemala,  her  mahogany  exports  are  perhaps 
not  so  extensive  as  those  of  the  two  Hondurases  on  either 
side  of  her.  In  1884  there  was  exported  of  all  woods 
(mahogany  being  the  chief)  from  the  port  of  Izabal  (Liv- 
ingston) a  measurement  of  352,066  feet,  valued  at  four 
cents  a  foot,  or  $14,082.64;  while  the  shipments  from 
Belize  for  the  same  time  were  about  3,000,000  feet,  worth 


336  GUATEMALA. 

$150,000.  This  is  not  because  the  Guatemalan  forests 
yield  less  of  this  valuable  wood ;  on  the  contrary,  mahog- 
any-trees are  very  abundant  in  the  Chocon  forests,  on 
the  smaller  tributaries  of  the  Polochic,  and  in  the  Mo- 
tagua  valley.  I  have  myself  seen  hundreds  of  immense 
trees  deep  in  the  forests,  while  along  the  larger  water- 
courses the  trees  have  generally  been  cut.  In  British 
Honduras  the  origin  and  existence  of  the  colony  is  due 
to  mahogany-cutting.  The  mahoganj-lands  are  in  the 
hands  of  a  few  proprietors  who  will  not  sell  nor  allow 
settlers,  since  the  young  trees  grow  rapidly ;  and  it  is  said 
that  in  thirty  years  from  a  clearing,  logs  of  large  size 
may  be  cut  from  the  shoots  which  spring  from  the 
stumps.  The  business  of  mahogany-cutting  is  thoroughly 
organized  and  made  the  most  of.  In  the  neighboring 
republic,  much  of  the  mahogany-land  belongs  to  the 
Government,  which  allows  any  one  to  cut  the  timber  on 
pretended  payment  of  five  dollars  stumpage.  A  few 
private  individuals  cut  here  and  there  and  in  a  desultory 
way.  The  work  at  a  mahogany  bank  is  generally  done 
by  Caribs,  who  are  skilful  woodmen.  The  hunter  or 
montero  strikes  alone  into  the  forest  and  searches  for 
trees.  If  he  finds  enough  of  a  suitable  size  (squaring 
not  less  than  eighteen  inches)  within  reasonable  distance 
from  the  "bank,"  a  road  is  opened  from  the  tree  to  the 
river.  Often  the  buttresses  are  immense,  and  the  plat- 
form, or  "  barbecue,"  is  raised  a  dozen  feet  from  the 
ground.  The  log  is  roughly  squared,  hauled  to  the  river, 
usually  by  night,  by  the  light  of  pine-torches,  and  only 
when  floated  to  port  is  it  trimmed  into  its  final  shape  for 
the  market.  The  best  mahogany  comes  from  limestone 
regions. 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     337 

With  the  mahogany  is  usually  found  the  cedar  (Cedrela 
odorata),  from  which  cigar-boxes  are  made,  and  which  is 
also  used  (as  is  mahogany)  for  single-log  canoas,  dories, 
and  cayucos. 

As  an  article  of  export,  logwood  ranks  next  to  mahog- 
any, of  which  the  best  is  found  in  the  region  of  the 
Usumacinta.  It  is  not  a  large  tree,  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  high,  and  much  easier  to  handle  than  the  mahogany. 
The  dark  heartwood  alone  is  used. 

The  Santa  Maria  {Ccdopliyllum  ccdaba)  is  much  used  in 
house-building.  Rosewood  (Dalbergia)  grows  to  a  large 
size  and  is  most  beautifully  veined,  as  is  also  the  exquisite 
Palo  cle  mulatto  (Spondias  luted) ;  but  both  sink  in  water, 
and  are  difficult  to  transport.  I  have  used  rosewood  logs 
twenty  inches  thick  to  support  a  cistern,  as  they  are 
almost  imperishable,  and  not  attacked  by  insects.  Sapo- 
clilla  (Achras  sapota)  is  nearly  as  heavy.  When  freshly 
hewn,  its  color  is  curiously  red,  beefy  in  tone ;  but  it  soon 
loses  this  on  exposure,  and  shrinks  considerably.  It  splits 
easily,  but  is  so  tough  that  splinters  are  used  as  nails  in 
soft  woods.  Salmwood  (Jacarcmda,  sp.)  is  light  colored, 
and  much  used  for  door  and  window  frames.  Ziricote 
is  beautifully  veined. 

Two  species  of  pine  are  common,  the  Pinus  cubensis, 
or  ocote,  whence  is  obtained  the  fat-pine  which  serves 
as  candle  for  a  great  majority  of  the  people  of  Central 
America,  and  the  long-leaved  pine  (P.  macrophylla)  of 
the  mountains.  I  have  placed  in  the  Appendix  a  list  of 
other  woods  valuable  in  many  ways,  but  never  exported, 
and  known  only  by  their  local  names. 

The  two  products  that  in  former  years  ranked  high 
among   the   Guatemalan  exports,   indigo  and   cochineal, 

22 


338  GUATEMALA. 

have  now  been  so  completely  superseded  by  other  dyes, 
the  product  of  the  laboratory,  that  they  no  longer  need 
be  considered  of  importance,  although  enough  indigo  is 
still  made  to  supply  native  dyers,  the  Indios  especially 
prizing  the  true  indigo  blue.  Both  dye-stuffs  were  chiefly 
cultivated  on  the  Pacific  slopes,  and  I  have  seen  half- 
neglected  nopaleras  in  the  vicinity  of  Antigua  and  Ama- 
titlan,  the  nopal  or  opuntia  generally  yielding  place  to 
sugar-cane  and  retiring  to  the  roadside  and  neglected 
corners,  while  the  cochineal  insect,  unfed  and  uncared- 
for,  is  gradually  disappearing.  In  1883  there  were  ex- 
ported 135.02  cwt.  of  indigo,  valued  at  $16,881.25;  while 
in  1884  only  62.67  cwt.,  of  a  value  of  $7,833.75.  A 
more  decided  decrease  is  seen  in  the  exportation  of  cochi- 
neal in  those  years,  the  amounts  being  184.01  cwt.,  of  a 
value  of  $9,200.50,  in  1883,  against  8.12  cwt.,  valued  at 
$406,  in  1884. 

It  has  been  my  fortune  to  visit  many  of  the  tropical 
regions  of  the  world,  and  I  have  visited  them  not  from 
idle  curiosity,  but  with  a  genuine  interest  in  their  inhabi- 
tants and  productions.  I  have  looked  upon  the  human, 
animal,  and  vegetable  population  of  these  places  as  closely 
as  my  limited  knowledge  and  the  time  allowed  me  would 
permit.  It  is  an  agreeable  study  to  place  the  physical 
capabilities  of  a  region,  the  richness  of  the  soil,  the 
climatic  influences,  the  geographical  and  commercial 
situation,  side  by  side  with  the  people,  their  industry, 
strength,  and  intelligence,  and  from  these  premises  draw 
the  conclusion  of  the  might-be. 

Once  in  travelling  alone  on  horseback  over  the  desert 
lands  which  lie  between  the  mountains  of  the  Island  of 
Maui,  of  the  Hawaiian  group,  I  was  impressed  with  the 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     339 

desolate,  arid  land  of  that  great  plain.  Stunted  indigo, 
verbena,  and  malvaceous  weeds  thinly  covered  the 
parched  soil,  which  was  cracked  in  every  direction. 
Ten  thousand  feet  above  me  rose  the  vast  dome  of 
Haleakala,  bare  on  this  landward  side,  but  which  had 
sent  down  for  centuries  volcanic  ash  to  make  this  plain, 
and  which  now  was  covering  these  earlier  deposits  with 
the  decomposition  of  its  rich  lavas.  I  examined  this  soil 
and  found  it  full  of  the  elements  best  suited  for  the  growth 
of  cane.  As  is  the  case  with  many  of  our  own  Western 
plains  comprised  in  what  was  known  as  the  Great 
American  Desert,  which  have  often  impressed  me  as  the 
most  inhospitable  land,  not  even  excepting  the  Sahara,  I 
have  ever  seen,  this  Hawaiian  plain  needed  only  water  to 
turn  the  desert  into  a  fertile  field.  I  laid  before  the  then 
Government  of  Hawaii  my  plan  for  reclaiming  this  land, 
which  in  great  part  belonged  to  the  School  Fund.  The 
Minister  of  Foreign  Relations,  the  Hon.  Robert  C.  Wyllie, 
a  most  remarkable  man,  saw  the  physical  possibilities,  but 
also  the  financial  impossibilities,  so  far  as  the  Government 
was  concerned.  Years  went  by,  when  on  a  second  visit 
to  Maui  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  that  my  plan  had 
in  part  been  carried  out  by  private  parties,  and  prosper- 
ing sugar  plantations,  valued  at  many  millions,  occupied 
the  once  waste  land. 

In  travelling  through  Guatemala  I  was  convinced  of 
the  physical  advantages  the  country  possessed,  though 
I  was  not  blind  to  the  indisputable  fact  that  of  all 
countries  I  have  seen,  Guatemala,  in  common  with  the 
other  States  of  Central  America,  makes  least  use  of 
her  natural  advantages,  and  does  least  to  overcome  those 
obstacles  Nature  has  thrown  in  her  way.     My  readers 


340 


GUATEMALA. 


will  pardon  me,  I  trust,  if,  in  briefly  discussing  the 
present  outcome  of  the  soil,  I  let  my  imagination, 
trained  and  curbed  by  an  extended  experience,  sug- 
gest at  the  same  time  what  the  wonderfully  fertile 
lands  of  Guatemala  might  yield,  properly  cultivated. 
While  I   will  endeavor  to  guard  myself  from  all  exag- 


Indian    Plough  ;    a   Type   of   Guatemaltecan    Agriculture. 

geration,  I  cannot  conceal  from  myself  the  fact  that 
those  not  familiar  with  tropical  luxuriance  of  growth 
and  fruitfulness  will  not  fully  acquit  me  of  this  fault 
so  generally  charged  to  travellers. 

Sugar-cane.  —  Arranging  the  products  to  be  described, 
not  in  a  scientific  order,  but  in  that  sequence  which  their 
commercial  importance  seems  to  suit,  sugar-cane  easily 
leads ;  and  this  in  spite  of  the  difficulties  of  the  labor 
supply,  which  I  deem  of  more  importance  than  the 
artificial  competition  of  the  very  inferior  sugar-beet. 
It  is  a  bold  assertion  that  no  country  or  climate  is 
better  suited  to  the  culture  of  sugar-cane.  I  have 
watched  the  growth  of  four  of  the  choicest  varieties1 
of  cane  side  by  side  with  that  usually  cultivated  on 
the  Atlantic  coast  (Bourbon),  compared  this  with  the 
growth  of  cane  in  Louisiana,  the  West  Indies,  Guiana, 
the  Hawaiian  Islands,  India,  the  East  Indies,  Egypt,  and 
the  Mauritius,  and  I  have  ascertained  the  cost  of  cul- 
tivation, expense  of  living,  yield  and  freight  of  product 

1  Lahaina,  Salangore,  Elephant,  Ribbon. 


VEGETABLE   AND   ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


341 


to  market,  in  all  these  various  centres  of  sugar-produc- 
tion, in  a  much  more  elaborate  way  than  would  be  in 
place  to  record  in  this  book. 

At  present  the  sugar-plantations  of  any  importance 
are  on  the  Pacific  side  of  Guatemala,  although  some,  as 
that  of  San  Geronimo,  near  Salama,  are  in  the  high 
interior.     The  valley  of  the  Michatoya  is  full  of   small 


A    Primitive    Sugar-mill. 


plantations,  or  ingenios.  From  the  Pacific  ports  was 
exported  in  1883,  44,927.27  cwt.  of  sugar,  valued  at 
$223,136.35 ;  in  1884,  about  7,000  cwt.  less.  The  home 
consumption  of  sugar  is  very  great,  and  most  of  that 
raised  in  the  Department  of  Chiquimula  is  not  exported. 
Much  of  the  manufacture  is  by  the  rudest  wooden  mills, 
and  the  sugar  resembles  the  poorest  quality  of  maple- 
sugar  ;    it  is  cooled  in  wooden  blocks  in  hemispherical 


342 


GUATEMALA. 


form,  and  comes  to  market  wrapped  in  corn  husks,  when 
it  is  called  panda. 

That  the  sugar  production  may  be  better  under- 
stood, I  give  the  statistics  for  1883,  as  published  by 
the  Government.  A  jinca  is  a  plantation ;  a  manzana 
equals  an  acre  and  three  quarters,  more  or  less ;  an 
arroba  weighs  twenty-five  pounds,  and  a  quintal  one 
hundred  pounds. 


Number 
Departments.              of 

tineas. 

Manzanas 
planted. 

Arrobas 

of 

sugar. 

Loads  of 

panela, 

64  parcels  each 

Arrobas 

of 
molasses. 

Quintals 

of 

moscovado. 

Guatemala  . 

Escuintla 
Sacatepequez 
Chimaitenaiigo 
Solola      .     . 
Siichitepequez 
Ketalhuleu   . 
Qiiezaltenango 
San  Marcos  . 
Iliiehuetenangc 
(Juiclie'     .     . 
Baja  Verapaz 
Alta  Verapaz 
1'eten  .     .      . 
Zacapa     . 
Chiquimula  . 
Jalapa 
Jutiapa    .     . 
Santa  Uosa  . 

68 

55 

2 

265 

16 

20 

31 

23 

66 

513 

57 

77 

6L 

71 

106 

505 

135 

144 

32 

203 

1,851 
163 
216 
214 
312 
305 
249 
252 
112 
43 
384 
157 
127 
213 
605 

1,800 
380 
174 

3,259 
40,507 
13,494 

2,168 
132 

7,999 

4,260 

'     311 

'2,201 
411 

4.696 
56.204 

1,002 
15,136 

2,719 

1,571 
7,315 

413 
2,128 
1,067 
4,149 
3,191 
1,641 
6,996 
4,043 
1,256 
3,889 

867 

499 

1,549 

17,201 

741 
2,202 
6,465 

5,162 

66.441 

35,765 

13 

150 

9.560 

!t,820 

6,601 

4,918 

122 

'3. 401 
632 

'2,125 
7,558 

269 
6,461 

121 

1,472 
15,168 
45,796 

'  8 

2,003 

'     8 
42 

Total.      .     .     . 
Value       .     .     . 

2.247 

7,810 

154.599 

5  SI. 70 

S270. 548.25 

67.183 

a  >8.oo 

$537,464 

159,184 
11  20  cts. 
§39,896 

64.497 
5    S2.00 
$128,994 

While  this  table  is  by  no  means  exact,  it  shows 
fairly  the  amount  of  saccharine  products  and  their  dis- 
tribution. It  is  curious  to  note  how  many  very  small 
plantations  are  reported  from  the  Department  of  Huehue- 
tenango  yielding  almost  exclusively  the  coarse  panela. 
In  Chiquimula  the  large  proportion  of  sugar  is  due  to 
foreign  enterprise.  There  the  cane-fields  are  capable  of 
irrigation  from  the  Hondo  or  other  streams,  and  the  cane 


VEGETABLE   AND   ANIMAL   PRODUCTIONS.  343 

is  chiefly  a  small  red  variety.  Escuintla  and  Jalapa  have 
nearly  the  same  area  of  cane  planted,  but  the  former,  by 
superior  machinery,  produces  forty  times  the  amount  of 
sugar,  and  ten  times  as  much  panel  a.  The  cultivation 
at  present  is  almost  confined  to  burying  the  seed-cane  and 
trashing,  that  is,  stripping  the  lower  leaves  twice  in  a 
season.  In  the  rich  valleys  of  the  Atlantic,  cane  will  grow 
nine  feet  in  as  many  months,  will  yield  four  tons  of  sugar 
to  the  acre,  will  rattoon  freely  for  twenty  years  without 
replanting,  and  may  be  ground  during  nine  months  of  the 
year.  Much  of  the  product  of  the  cane  is  in  Guatemala 
converted  into  aguardiente,  or  rum.  With  the  exception 
of  the  experimental  plantation  to  which  I  have  referred,  I 
know  of  no  sugar  tineas  in  northern  Guatemala,  although 
there  are  several  in  similar  situations  in  British  Honduras. 

It  is  a  well-known  saying  in  this  part  of  the  world 
that  "  Wherever  mahogany  will  grow,  there  every  trop- 
ical product  will  flourish ;  and  wherever  logwood  grows, 
there  you  can  produce  the  finest  rice."  Cane  certainly 
is  no  exception  to  this  rule. 

Coffee.  —  Second  on  the  list  may  be  placed  coffee, 
both  from  the  importance  of  the  present  product,  and 
from  its  very  excellent  quality.  On  the  coast  the  Li- 
berian  coffee  flourishes,  and  as  the  berries  do  not  drop 
as  soon  as  ripe,  the  trouble  of  harvesting  is  much  less- 
ened. Most  of  the  crop  exported  from  Livingston 
goes  to  England,  and  it  has  up  to  the  present  time  been 
difficult  to  obtain  the  best  quality,  except  through  Eng- 
land. In  1883,  404,069.39  cwt.  of  a  value  (at  twelve 
cents)  of  $4,848,832.68  were  exported.  On  this  the 
Government  levies  a  tax,  varying  year  by  year,  pro- 
portioned to  the  harvest. 


J44 


GUATEMALA. 


The  present  importance  of  the  coffee  interest  is  shown 
by  the  following  table  of  the  coffee  crop,  commencing 
October,  1883,  and  ending  June,  1884  :  — 


Departments. 

Fincas. 

Trees. 

Crop. 

Value. 

Pounds 
per  tree. 

Guatemala     .     . 
Aiiiatitlan.     .     . 
Escu'mtla  .     .     . 
Sacatepequez 
Cliinialtenango 
Solola  .... 
Suchitepequez    . 
Retallmleu     .     . 
Quezaltenango  . 
San  Marcos    .     . 
llueliuetenango . 
Alta  Verapaz 
Baja  Verapaz     . 
Peten     .... 
Zacapa.     .     .     . 
Chiquimula    .     . 
Jalapa  .... 
Santa  Kosa    .     . 

213 
507 
104 
626 

47 

82 
253 
598 
409 
177 
248 
265 

54 
101 

91 
1,000 

96 
560 

756,484 
5,152,900 
5,914,850 
2,805,400 
3,511,839 
2,287.525 
3,511,839 
5,129,857 
8,903,552 
1,595,488 

627,276 
3,835,084 

900,856 
18,545 
56,410 

908,670 

30,210 

4,354,428 

11,340.26 

45,288.76 

38,560.00 

18,280.18 

27,573.26 

27,993.52 

52,860.32 

33,250.15 

124.779.70 

45,115.08 

7,354.94 

2,883.25 

813.54 

278.36 

182.36 

6,595.52 

206.86 

26,032.45 

$113,402.60 

452,887.00 

385,600.00 

182,860.80 

275,732.60 

279,935.20 

528,603.20 

332,501.50 

1,247,797.00 

451.156.80 

73,549.40 

288.732.50 

8,135.40 

2.783.60 

1,823.60 

65,955.20 

2,068.60 

260,324.50 

1.50 
0.05 

1.50 

1.50 
0.40 

0.75 

1.50 

0.60 

Totals   .... 

5,431 

60,301,213 

495,385.11 

$4,953,850.11 

0.82 

If  the  figures  of  this  table  are  correct,  the  average  yield 
throughout  the  republic  is  0.82  lb.  per  tree ;  in  Escuintla 
.65  lb. ;  in  Santa  Rosa  .60 ;  in  Guatemala  1.5 ;  in  Quezal- 
tenango and  Peten  the  same;  in  Alta  Verapaz  .75;  and 
in  San  Marcos  .40, — figures  which  show  a  very  large 
number  of  non-bearing  trees. 

Coffee  is  planted  in  the  shade,  and  the  young  plants 
require  the  protection  of  banana  or  other  trees  until  well 
established.  Plants  are  set  ten  feet  apart  each  way,  and 
topped  when  about  six  feet  high.  The  Liberian  variety 
is  large  beaned,  and  although  of  a  lower  price  than  the 
best  Arabian,  is  more  prolific,  and  in  the  lower  lands,  where 
the  latter  does  not  do  well,  is  certainly  more  profitable.1 

1  Even  at  nine  cents  per  pound  it  pays  as  well  as  the  best  Jamaica  at 
fourteen  cents. 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     345 

It  begins  to  bear  the  third  year,  produces  three  to  four 
hundred  pounds  per  acre  in  the  fifth  year,  attains  its 
maximum  in  the  tenth,  and  is  old  in  the  thirtieth. 
Coffee  exhausts  the  soil  more  than  any  crop  except 
tobacco. 

Cacao.  —  All  through  the  forests  of  the  Atlantic  coast 
cacao  grows  wild,  and  even  in  this  condition  generally  of 
choice  quality.  On  the  Pacific  coast  are  the  chief  planta- 
tions, although  the  amount  exported  is  insignificant  (1,492 
lbs.  in  1884).  Just  over  the  Mexican  boundary,  in  the 
province  of  Soconusco,  grows  the  most  celebrated  cacao 
known  ;  and  probably  careful  selection  of  seed  and  cultiva- 
tion would  produce  the  same  results  in  Guatemalan  terri- 
tory. Throughout  the  republic  there  is  probably  less  cacao 
raised  than  before  the  Conquest,  when  the  nib  was  current 
as  money, and  chocolate  a  royal  drink.  Like  the  coffee-tree, 
cacao  requires  protection,1  which  must  be  continuous,  for 
the  cacao  never  outgrows  it ;  but  a  thin  shade  such  as  the 
India-rubber  affords  will  answer  very  well,  and  in  this  case 
the  madre  cacao  is  profitable.  A  cacao-plantation  should 
be  in  full  bearing  about  the  seventh  year ;  and  while  the 
curing  of  the  pods  requires  much  care  and  experience,  the 
cultivation  of  the  trees  is  very  simple.  The  many  varie- 
ties and  the  interesting  process  by  which  the  bean  is  pre- 
pared for  market  are  well  described  in  the  pamphlet  to 
which  reference  has  been  made.  Plantations  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Polochic,  Chocon,  and  Motagua  would 
yield  a  rich  return.  In  Guatemala  are  several  factories 
for  preparing  chocolate  from  the  bean,  and  I  have  seen 
samples   of  very  high   quality.     It  is   generally,  if   not 

1  Cacao:     How  to  grow  and  how  to  cure  it.     London:   Prepared  by  the 
Jamaica  Government. 


346 


GUATEMALA. 


always,  flavored    with    cinnamon,   and   when  used  as    a 
beverage  is  churned  or  beaten  into  froth. 


Theobroma  Cacao  (Chocolate  Tree' 


A  Enlarged  flower. 

B   Stamens  and  pistil. 
C  Andrcccium. 
0  Petal. 


E    Ovar>j,  vertical. 
F   Ovary  transverse. 
G    Pod  section. 
H    Ripe  pod. 


India-rubber.  —  Like  the  cacao,  the  Castilloa  elastica 
grows  wild  in  all  the  coast  valleys ;  but  although  the  Gov- 
ernment has  placed  a  bounty  on  plantations  of   this  very 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


347 


desirable  tree,  few  have  been  formed.  Now,  as  formerly, 
the  Indios  collect  the  gum  in  a  very  wasteful  way,  and  soon 
the  supply  will  be  greatly  lessened.  I  am  tempted  to 
quote  from  Juarros  1  what  I  believe  is  the  earliest  notice 


Castilloa  elastica  (India-rubber  Tree). 

of  the  use  of  India-rubber  for  waterproof  garments.  "  On 
pricking  the  trunk  of  this  tree  [ule]  an  abundant  juice 
issues,  which  serves,  as  Fuentes  assures  us,  to  coat  a  boot, 
with  which  one  can  pass  a  stream  or  a  swamp  dryshod." 

1  Compendio   de  la  Historia  de  la  Ciudad  de  Guatemala,  t.  2,  p.  95,  ed. 
1818. 


348  GUATEMALA. 

The  castilloa  grows  to  a  height  of  about  forty  to  fifty 
feet,  and  its  clean,  smooth  stem  may  be  two  feet  in  diam- 
eter at  the  base.  The  leaves  are  large,  oblong  in  shape,  and 
rather  hairy.  The  foliage  is  light  green  in  color,  and  not 
very  dense.  The  small  greenish  flowers  appear  in  Feb- 
ruary and  March,  and  the  seed  ripens  three  months  later. 
Mr.  Morris1  gives  the  following  account  of  the  rubber 
gathering :  — 

"  The  castilloa  rubber-tree  is  fit  to  be  tapped  for  caout- 
chouc, or  the  gummy  substance  produced  by  its  milk, 
when  about  seven  to  ten  years  old.  The  milk  is  obtained 
at  present,  from  trees  growing  wild,  by  men  called  rubber- 
gatherers,  who  are  well  acquainted  with  all  the  localities 
inhabited  by  the  Toonu  [ule].  The  proper  season  for 
tapping  the  trees  is  after  the  autumn  rains,  which  occur 
some  months  after  the  trees  have  ripened  their  fruit,  and 
before  they  put  forth  buds  for  the  next  season.  The  flow 
of  milk  is  most  copious  during  the  months  of  October, 
November,  December,  and  January.  The  rubber-gatherers 
commence  operations  on  an  untapped  tree  by  reaching 
with  a  ladder,  or  by  means  of  lianes,  the  upper  portions 
of  its  trunk,  and  scoring  the  bark  the  whole  length  with 
deep  cuts,  which  extend  all  round.  The  cuts  are  some- 
times made  so  as  to  form  a  series  of  spirals  all  round  the 
tree ;  at  other  times  they  are  shaped  simply  like  the  letter 
V,  with  a  small  piece  of  hoop-iron,  the  blade  of  a  cutlass, 
or  the  leaf  of  a  palm  placed  at  the  lower  angle  to  form  a 
spout  to  lead  the  milk  into  a  receptacle  below.  A  number 
of  trees  are  treated  in  this  manner,  and  left  to  bleed  for 
several  hours.  At  the  close  of  the  day  the  rubber-gath- 
erer collects  all  the  milk,  washes  it  by  means  of  water, 

1  The  Colony  of  British.  Honduras.     D.  Morris,  London,  1883,  p.  76. 


VEGETABLE   AND   ANIMAL   PRODUCTIONS.  349 

and  leaves  it  standing  till  the  next  morning.  He  now  pro- 
cures a  quantity  of  the  stem  of  the  moon-plant  (Colony c- 
tion  speciosum),  pounds  it  into  a  mass,  and  throws  it  into 
a  bucket  of  water.  After  this  decoction  has  been  strained, 
it  is  added  to  the  rubber  milk  in  the  proportion  of  one 
pint  to  a  gallon,  or  until,  after  brisk  stirring,  the  whole 
of  the  milk  is  coagulated.  The  masses  of  rubber  floating 
on  the  surface  are  now  strained  from  the  liquid,  kneaded 
into  cakes,  and  placed  under  heavy  weights  to  get  rid  of 
all  watery  particles."  It  is  true  that  either  very  heavy 
weights  are  not  handy,  or  the  honest  Indian  wishes  to 
sell  water  at  the  price  of  rubber ;  for  the  masses,  as  I  have 
examined  them  freshly  brought  in  for  sale,  contain  a  large 
quantity  of  water  held  mechanically  in  the  interstices. 
Alum  is  sometimes  used  to  coagulate  the  milk,  but  is 
thought  to  render  the  gum  hard  and  less  elastic.  A  full- 
grown  tree  should  yield  about  eight  gallons  of  milk  when 
first  tapped,  —  which  is  equivalent  to  sixteen  pounds  of 
rubber,  worth  from  ten  to  twelve  dollars.  Although  the 
law  of  Guatemala  forbids  the  tapping  of  young  trees,  and 
tries  to  regulate  the  frequency  of  the  attack,  it  is  ineffect- 
ual to  prevent  the  gradual  destruction  of  the  wild  trees 
through  improvident  bleeding,  and  only  the  establishment 
of  private  plantations  will  prevent  the  final  extinction  of 
this  most  valuable  source  of  rubber.  The  Para  rubber 
(Ilevea  brasiliensis)  grows  only  in  swamps  unfit  for  culti- 
vation ;  the  true  rubber  (Ficus  elastiea),  so  popular  a  house- 
plant,  does  not  seem  to  thrive  and  yield  a  supply  of  rubber 
away  from  its  native  East  Indies ;  and  the  Ceara  rubber 
of  South  America  (Manihot  Glaziovi)  is  not  of  easy  culti- 
vation, so  that  the  Castilloa  certainly  promises  to  be  the 
tree,  of  the  many  known  to  produce  rubber,  most  likely 


350  GUATEMALA. 

to  supply  in  cultivation  that  useful  gum  civilized  nations 
cannot  now  do  without,  although  the  science  of  adulter- 
ation has  progressed  so  far  that  an  ordinary  pair  of 
so-called  rubber  boots  contain  hardly  a  spoonful  of  the 
pure  gum,  the  rest  being  sulphur,  coal-tar,  and  other 
matters. 

The  trees  should  be  planted  forty  feet  apart ;  and  as  the 
seed  is  very  perishable,  it  should  be  planted,  or  at  least 
packed  in  earth,  as  soon  as  gathered. 

Sarsaparilla.  —  One  of  the  most  troublesome  vejucos, 
or  vines,  common  all  through  the  forests  of  the  Atlan- 
tic seaboard  is  the  zarza,  or  sarsaparilla.  Probably  the 
American  public  is  familiar  with  the  popular  remedies 
compounded  in  part  with  this  valuable  medicinal  plant, 
which,  belonging  to  the  Smilax  family,  affects  damp, 
warm  forests,  climbing  to  great  heights  over  the  trees. 
The  portion  used  is  the  long,  tough  root ;  this  the  zarza- 
gatherer  digs  and  pulls  from  the  loose  soil,  replanting 
the  stem,  which  in  due  time  replaces  its  stolen  roots, 
to  be  again  robbed.  The  roots  are  wTashed,  loosely  bun- 
dled, and  sold  to  the  dealers,  who  have  the  fibres  made 
up  into  tight  rolls,  a  few  hundred  of  wmich  are  then 
pressed  together  and  sewed  up  in  the  thickest  hide  that 
can  be  found  ;  for  the  tk  custom  of  trade "  includes  the 
wrapper  in  the  tare  of  the  more  costly  drug.  Most  of  the 
sarsaparilla  exported  from  Belize  comes  from  Guatemala 
and  Honduras ;  but  from  Livingston  more  than  60,000 
pounds  were  exported  in  1884,  of  an  appraised  value  of 
ten  cents  per  pound.  The  plant  is  easily  propagated  by 
cuttings  or  seeds,  and  of  course  needs  no  cultivation  or 
clearing ;  the  yield  will  average  twenty  pounds  of  dried 
root  from  each  plant. 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     351 

Bananas  and  Plantains.  —  No  export  from  Guatemala 
has  increased  more  rapidly  in  value  than  have  the  pro- 
ducts under  this  head.     The  permanent  establishment  of 
lines  of  steamers  between  New  Orleans  and  Livingston, 
and  the  bounty  offered  by  the  Government,  stimulated  the 
planting  of  many  small  fincas  along  the  shores  and  on 
the  river-banks.     Under  contract  with  the  steamship  com- 
panies,   the   producer   sells   his   bananas   at    50    cents  a 
bunch  (of  not  less  than  eight  hands)  during  five  months 
of  the  year,  and  for  37^-  cents  the  rest  of  the  year.     The 
cost  of  production  may  be  placed  at  12|-  cents  per  bunch. 
All  these  prices  are  in  silver  currency  of  the  value  of  the 
sham  dollar  of  the  United  States.     Plantains  are  sold  at 
25  cents  a  bunch  of  twenty-five,  sometimes  commanding 
$1.25  per  hundred.     The  profits  of  this  business  go,  as 
usual,  not  to  the  producer,  but  to  the  middle-man  or  the 
steamer-companies.     For  example,  a  man   raises  a  hun- 
dred bunches   of  good  fruit ;  the  cost  to  him  is  $12.50 
delivered  on  board  the  steamer.     He  is  paid  in  the  best 
season  $50  in  silver,  for  which  he  can  get  $40  in  Amer- 
ican gold.     The  steamer  people,  after  a  voyage  of  four 
days,   during  which  all  their  expenses  are   paid  by  the 
passenger-list  and  the  Government  mail-subsidies,  sell  the 
bananas  on  the  wharf  in  New  Orleans  for  $125  in  gold, 
or  its  equivalent,  —  clearing  $85  ;  while  the  planter,  for 
a  year's  labor  put  into  the   bananas,  gets   $30.     I  have 
put  the  price  paid  the  planter  at  the  highest,  and  the 
sales  in  New  Orleans  at  the  lowest.     The  loss  is  insiamifi- 
cant  at  these  figures,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  for  the 
profits  of  a  single  round   trip   of  two  weeks  to   exceed 
$40,000.     Half  this  shared  with  the  planter  would  make 
him  rich. 


GUATEMALA. 


If  the  planting  of  bananas  is  to  profit  the  grower,  he 
must  raise  enough  —  say  twenty  thousand  bunches  a 
month  —  to  freight  his  own  steamer,  and  be  independent 
of  the  present  monopolies  of  the  Italian  fruiterers.  The 
extent  of  this  business  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  from  Liv- 
ingston in  1883  were  exported  29,699  bunches,  and  in 
1884,  54,633,  or  nearly  double  the  amount. 

This  is  not  the  proper  place  to  enter  into  a  detailed 
history  of  the  banana,  its  culture  and  its  varieties ;  but 

there  is  much  un- 
certainty in  the 
Northern  mar- 
kets as  to  the  dis- 
tinction between 
bananas  and  plan- 
tains, which  it 
may  be  well  to  re- 
move. At  pres- 
ent plantains  are 
not  brought  to  the 
Boston  or  New 
York  markets.  Botanically,  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish 
between  these  two  fruits,  as  connecting  varieties  run 
imperceptibly  into  the  two  extremes  ;  no  one,  however, 
would  ever  mistake  a  t}'pical  plantain  for  a  banana, 
either  single  or  in  bunch.  Of  all  the  varieties  of  the 
banana  (and  I  have  myself  seen  at  least  two  hundred, 
including  the  seeding-banana  of  Chittagong),  only  two 
or  three  are  raised  for  exportation  in  Guatemala,  and 
these  are  by  no  means  the  best ;  but  as  the  steamer 
people  will  give  no  more  for  a  choice  variety,  there 
is   no   inducement  to   improve  the   stock.     Both  yellow 


Bunch   of    Plantains   (young). 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


353 


and  red  varieties  are  grown,  and  the  former  some- 
times have  two  hundred  and  fifty  bananas  on  a  bunch, 
weighing,  unripe,  ninety  pounds.  The  plantain  is  yellow 
when  ripe  (I  have  never  seen  a  red  variety),  and  is  much 
larger  and  more  curved  than  a  banana,  while  the  bunches 
are  looser  and  much  smaller,  seldom  numbering  more 
than  thirty-five  fruits.  Some  plantains  attain  a  length 
of  fifteen  inches,  and  some  are  quite  palatable  uncooked  ; 
but  the  usual  way  to  eat  them  is  either  baked  or  fried. 
Few  of  our  Northerners  appreciate  the  wTonderful  nu- 
tritive qualities  of  the  plantain,  which  in  this  respect 
surpasses  the  banana ;  and  it  may  be  authoritatively 
stated  that  sixteen  hundred  and  seven  square  feet  of 
rich  land  will  produce  four  thousand  pounds  of  nutritive 
substance  from  plantains,  which  will  support  fifty  per- 
sons, while  the  same  land  planted  with  wheat  will  support 
but  two.  When  the  plantain  is  dried,  it  will  keep  from 
twenty  to  thirty  years ;  and  if  dried  before  ripening,  an 
admirable  meal  (better  than  arrowroot)  can  be  made 
from  the  ground  white  fruits,  while  the  ripe  fruit  forms  a 
conserve  not  unlike  a  fig  in  flavor,  and  of  course  free 
from  the  seeds  so  troublesome  in  that  fruit.  One  hun- 
dred parts  of  the  fresh  fruit  contain  twenty-seven  parts 
of  nutritive  matter,  easily  digested  and  superior  to  pure 
starch.  The  comparative  cost  and  profit  of  the  two  fruits 
may  be  thus  stated  :  — 


Banana. 

Plantain. 

Cost  of  one  acre  of  laud 

.       $1.00 

Clearing  and  planting  . 

.       20.00 

300  bunches 

15,000  fruits 

430  stools   .... 

2.50 

at  .50 

at$l.L>5 

Care  to  first  crop     . 

.       10.00 

less  cost 

per  hundred 

Shipping     .... 

.      10.00 

$43.50 

$106.50 

$144.00 

23 

354  GUATEMALA. 

The  second  year  the  increase  would  be  in  favor  of  the 
plantain,  and  the  product  has  reached  more  than  thirty- 
live  thousand  per  acre.  Of  the  fibre  no  account  has 
been  taken,  although  this  bids  fair  to  become  an  impor- 
tant by-product.  The  plantain  contains  more  fibre  than 
the  banana,  —  the  inner  portion  in  both  stems  being 
much  finer.  At  present  the  possible  four  pounds  of  fibre 
in  each  stem  is  wasted ;  and  as  the  stems  should  be  cut  to 
the  ground  after  the  fruit  is  gathered,  these  large  fibrous 
trunks  are  much  in  the  way  of  cultivation.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  the  Manilla  hemp  is  the  product  of  a 
species  of  banana  (Musa  textilis). 

Usually  bananas  or  plantains  are  planted  in  a  cafetal 
or  in  a  cacao  or  orange  orchard,  to  shade  the  young 
plants,  and  after  three  or  four  years  are  removed  as  the 
more  permanent  trees  attain  their  growth.  All  the  fruit 
exported  must  be  cut  and  shipped  while  quite  green  and 
not  fully  grown  ;  and  this,  conjoined  to  the  tar  and  bilge 
smell  of  the  steamers,  certainly  gives  the  fruit  a  flavor  it 
does  not  have  in  its  native  land  when  allowed  to  attain 
its  full  growth  and  then  slowly  ripened  under  shelter 
from  the  sun.  Bananas,  like  some  pears,  should  not  be 
allowed  to  ripen  on  the  trees. 

There  are  two  articles  of  food  and  commerce  which 
should  certainly  attract  the  attention  of  merchants,  and 
so  of  the  public,  in  our  Northern  States,  —  fresh  plan- 
tains, as  a  most  nutritious  and  delicious  vegetable,  more 
costly  than  the  banana,  though  of  easier  transport ;  and 
the  dried  plantain,  for  which  there  is  already  an  in- 
creasing market  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Pita  and  Sisal  Hemp.  —  The  mention  of  the  plan- 
tain-fibre calls  to  mind  two  very  valuable  fibrous  plants 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     355 

at  present  little  cultivated  in  Guatemala,  except  for 
home  consumption.  The  pita,  or  silk-grass  (Bromelia 
pita)  belongs  to  the  pineapple  family,  and  is  very  com- 
monly used  for  hedges  in  the  interior  of  the  country. 
The  long  sharp  leaves  are  rotted,  and  the  fibre  ex- 
tracted by  the  rudest  means,  usually  by  pounding  on 
stones  in  a  running  stream ;  but  the  product  makes 
most  durable  and  desirable  hammocks  and  bags  and 
cords.  The  other  plant  is  most  cultivated  in  Yucatan, 
whence  the  name  Sisal  hemp,  from  the  shipping  port. 
It  is  also  called  henequen  (Agave  ixtli),  and  much  re- 
sembles the  century-plant.  Common  over  the  mountain- 
ranges,  certainly  to  a  height  of  eight  thousand  feet,  it 
is  little  used,  except  for  hedges.  From  Yucatan  it  is 
exported  to  the  annual  value  of  $500,000.  The  ixtli 
grows  in  poor  dry  soil  and  is  easily  propagated  by 
cuttings.  An  American  machine  removes  the  pulp  and 
cleans  the  fibre  at  the  rate  of  a  leaf  a  minute,  and  the 
product  is  then  baled  and  shipped  without  further  trouble. 
The  fibre,  according  to  the  "  Textile  Record,"  costs  the 
planter  two  thirds  of  a  cent  per  pound,  the  freight  to 
New  York  is  three  quarters  of  a  cent,  and  witli  com- 
missions and  incidental  expenses,  the  total  charge  per 
pound  is  a  cent  and  a  half,  and  it  sells  for  from  five 
to  seven  cents  per  pound.  In  the  English  market  Sisal 
hemp  is  quoted  at  £30  per  ton. 

The  species  and  varieties  of  the  agaves  or  henequen 
and  pulque  plants  are  not  clearly  distinguished ;  but  two 
types  are  tolerably  distinct.  Agave  Americana,  or  maguey, 
is  cultivated  in  Mexico  for  the  juice  which  when  fer- 
mented is  called  pulque.  The  plant  after  some  years  of 
growth  in  a  stemless  condition  throws  up  a  stem  very 


356 


GUATEMALA. 


rapidly  to   a  height  of   forty  feet,  or  even   more.     The 
Mexican  cultivator,  however,  nips  this  stem  before  it  has 

attained  two  feet ;  and 

WMMMM 


scooping  a  large  hol- 
low in  the  cut  stump, 
waits  for  the  sap  to 
collect.  The  yield  from 
a  vigorous  plant — and 
the  sap  continues  to 
run  for  three  months 
—  is  from  two  to  three 
hundred  gallons  !  The 
a  save,  it  must  be  re- 
membered,  grows  in  the 
driest  soil.  The  fibre 
of  the  leaf  is  very 
strong,  and  is  used  to 
make  paper  of  the 
toughest  and  most  du- 
rable kind. 

The  Agave  ixtli,  or 
henequen,  is  larger  than 
the  last  species.  When 
the  plants  are  three 
years  old  the  leaves 
may  be  cut,  and  a  good 
plant  should  yield  from 
fifty  to  a  hundred 
leaves  annually,  the 
cutting  being  repeated  every  four  months.  The  contin- 
uous fibres  in  a  leaf  are  sometimes  five  and  a  half  feet 
long,  and    are   used    by   the   natives   without    spinning. 


Pounding    Rice. 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     357 

The  life  of  the  ixtli  subjected  to  this  pruning  and  not 
allowed  to  flower,  may  extend  to  ten  years,  but  usually 
is  several  years  less. 

Bromeliajnfa  produces  a  much  finer  and  stronger  fibre, 
but  is  not  so  easy  to  handle.  As  these  fibres  come  to 
market  they  are  often  confounded,  even  by  the  Indios, 
and  the  term  "  pita  "  is  not  infrequently  applied  to  the 
product  of  agaves,  and  even  of  plantains. 

The  genus  Fourcroya,  closely  allied  to  agave,  also  yields 
valuable  fibres. 

Bice.  —  The  upland  variety  grows  remarkably  well 
in  the  bottom-lands  of  the  Chocon  River,  producing 
two  crops  a  year  of  very  heavy  rice.  All  through 
the  logwood  country  it  might  profitably  be  cultivated  ; 
but  up  to  the  present  time  not  enough  has  been  raised 
fairly  to  determine  how  much  the  yield  per  acre  may 
be.  There  are  no  suitable  rice-mills,  and  the  grain  is 
hulled  by  the  rude  and  wasteful  method  of  pounding 
in  mortars. 

Oranges.  —  The  delusion  which  has  led  so  many  to 
plant  orange-trees  on  the  frost-visited  sand-banks  of 
Florida  has  at  least  turned  the  attention  of  Americans 
to  the  desirability  of  orange-walks  not  too  remote  from 
our  principal  fruit-markets.  The  Florida  oranges,  while 
sweet  and  juicy,  are  wanting  in  flavor,  especially  the 
mandarin  variety,  which  is  far  inferior  to  the  fruit 
of  that  variety  raised  in  China.  Even  the  Louisiana 
oranges,  which  are  generally  superior  to  those  from 
Florida,  are  not  first-rate,  and  in  both  States  I  have 
seen  the  foliage  utterly  destroyed  by  frost,  —  an  acci- 
dent which  must  seriously  interfere  with  the  succeed- 
ing crop.     As  a  substitute  for  these  unsuitable  regions, 


358  GUATEMALA. 

Guatemala  offers  great  advantages.  At  Teleman,  on 
the  Polochic,  the  quality  of  the  uncultivated  fruit  is 
nearly  equal  to  the  Syrian  oranges ;  that  is,  finer  than 
any  I  have  seen  in  Jamaica  or  the  West  Indies  gener- 
ally, —  and  the  same  fruit  can  be  raised  on  all  the  bot- 
tom-lands of  the  Atlantic  coast.  Lemons  do  not  do  so 
well,  as  this  fruit  requires  a  cooler  climate  and  must 
be  relegated  to  the  higher  interior  valleys ;  but  limes 
grow  wild  in  remarkable  perfection,  being  often  used 
as  hedge-plants.  Raised  from  seed,  the  plants  at  three 
years  are  six  feet  high,  and  in  five  are  bearing.  On 
the  western  side  limas,  or  sweet  lemons,  citrons,  and 
toranjas,  or  shaddocks,  grow  very  well.  Oranges  of 
many  varieties  can  be  grown  in  the  greatest  perfec- 
tion in  the  rich  valleys  ;  and  yet  it  is  difficult  to  ob- 
tain oranges  enough  for  home  consumption  even  where 
the  alcaldes  are  not  so  stupid  as  one  reported  during 
the  cholera  scare  in  1884,  who  ordered  all  the  orange- 
trees  in  his  village  to  be  cut  down,  as  their  fruit  was 
sure  to  cause  cholera !  Along  the  coast  of  Honduras, 
near  Trujillo,  I  have  bought  for  one  dollar  a  barrel  the 
finest  limes  I  ever  saw. 

Coconuts.  —  On  the  sandy  shores,  where  no  other  fruit 
will  grow,  the  coconut  flourishes.  As  a  rule  the  nuts 
are  not  so  large  as  those  of  the  Pacific  Islands  ;  but  I 
have  seen  some  of  good  size  on  the  north  shore  of  the 
Island  of  Roatan.  The  low,  sandy  cayos  and  the 
equally  low  shores  of  Manabique  are  admirably  suited 
for  coconut-walks.  In  one  place  on  the  Hondureilan 
coast  a  large  factory  was  established  at  great  cost,  but 
for  some  reason  not  known  to  the  writer  it  has  been 
abandoned  ;  and  now,  nowhere  on  the  northern  coast  of 


VEGETABLE   AND   ANIMAL   PRODUCTIONS.  359 

Guatemala  is  any  organized  attempt  to  prepare  either 
the  oil  or  fibre  (coir  or  cobre),  and  the  nuts  are  shipped 
to  the  United  States  or  to  England.  Prolific  bearers, 
these  palms  require  no  care  after  they  come  into  bear- 
ing in  the  fourth  year;  and  as  they  bear  heavily  by 
the  seventh  year,  a  young  walk  soon  becomes  a  source 
of  profit.  Usually  a  tree  produces  a  flower-spathe  every 
month;  so  there  are  generally  on  a  tree  nuts  in  all 
stages.  -  On  a  single  spadix  I  have  counted  five  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  fifty  staminate  or  male  blos- 
soms, and  fifty-two  pistillate  or  female.  Of  the  latter 
not  more  than  thirty,  and  usually  only  twenty,  develop 
into  nuts ;  but  a  young  tree  in  a  good  soil  will  proba- 
bly bear  three  hundred  and  sixty  nuts  per  annum, 
worth  $9.  In  a  walk,  however,  it  is  a  good  tree 
that  is  worth  $3  per  annum. 

The  trade  in  green  nuts  is  of  course  limited  ;  but  they 
usually  sell  at  the  rate  of  two  cents  apiece.  No  more 
delicious  drink  is  found  in  the  tropical  fruits  than  the 
rich  milk  of  the  nut  when  so  green  that  the  shell  is  easily 
cut  with  a  knife.  When  fully  ripe,  the  nuts  may  be 
piled  in  a  damp  place  and  left  to  germinate.  The  milk 
disappears,  and  its  place  is  occupied  by  a  porous  mass 
completely  filling  the  cavity  and  of  the  consistency  of 
sponge-cake,  quite  edible  withal.  As  the  shoot  pushes 
through  the  eye  and  breaks  through  the  thick  husk,  the 
innocent-looking  sponge  seems  to  absorb  the  meat  of 
the  coconut ;  when  this  is  finished,  the  plant  has,  as  it 
were,  hatched  itself  from  the  old  shell,  and  is  ready  to 
continue  life  on  its  own  basis.  The  coconut  presents  a 
good  illustration  of  the  development  of  pinnate  or  feather 
leaves  from  palmate  (or  leaves  shaped  like  a  fan),  —  all 


360 


GUATEMALA. 


the  early  leaves  of  this  palm  being  of  the  latter  class, 
while  the  noble  leaves  of  the  mature  palm  are  long- 
pinnate. 

If   the  trees   are  planted    about  sixty  to  the  acre  in 
ordinary   situations,  such    a    plantation   should  not  cost, 


Growth  of   a  Young   Coconut 

including  the  land,  more  than  forty  dollars  until  the  trees 
bear ;  and  in  eight  years  the  planter  may  expect  a  crop 
of  at  least  eight  thousand  nuts  annually,  —  which  should 
net  him  about  two  hundred  dollars.  It  is  a  great  mis- 
take to  plant  the  nut  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  as  it 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     361 

is  liable  to  be  overturned  by  the  winds,  or  too  thick,  as 
it  then  grows  tall  and  spindly,  and  bears  poorly. 

The  exports  of  coconuts  from  Belize  during  six  years 
previous  to  1882,  as  given  by  Mr.  Morris,1  are  shown 
thus : — 


1876  .   . 

.   .   381,000 

1879   .   , 

.   .    919,000 

1877  .   . 

.   .   604,000 

1880   .   , 

.   .   1,623,000 

1878  .   . 

.   .   698,000 

1881   .   . 

.   .   6,047,160 

A  remarkable  increase,  that  shows  that  the  profits  induce 
more  extensive  planting.  As  to  the  duration  of  a  fruitful 
coconut,  I  have  not  sufficient  data.  I  have  seen  old  trees 
on  Utila  that  had  been  growing  less  than  twenty-five 
years,  and  I  have  seen  trees  still  bearing  on  the  shores  of 
Hawaii  which  are  distinctly  marked  with  the  cannon- 
balls  Captain  Cook's  ships  fired  at  the  village  of  Kaawaloa 
after  the  great  navigator's  tragic  death,  more  than  a  cen- 
tury ago  ;  and  these  trees  must  have  been  well  grown 
at  that  remote  day.  I  may  add  that  on  the  Hawaiian 
Group  few  coconuts  bear  before  they  are  seven  years  old, 
—  some  not  until  they  are  fourteen. 

Pineapples.  —  No  systematic  cultivation  of  this  most 
delicious  fruit  has  been  undertaken  in  Guatemala,  al- 
though the  wild  pines  are  of  good  quality.  The  pina 
de  azucar,  or  sugar-pine,  is  large  (over  six  pounds),  and 
very  tender  and  juicy ;  but  the  horse-pine  has  more 
flavor.  On  the  Chocon  plantation  the  pine-fields  planted 
in  the  lighter  soil  do  very  well,  but  require  cleaning 
five  times  each  year.  The  sprouts  from  the  base  of 
the  fruit  are  planted,  and  after  two  years  the  stock  has 
spread  so  as  to  produce  several  pines  annually.     Three 

1  British  Honduras,  p.  100. 


362  GUATEMALA. 

thousand  plants  to  the  acre  should  yield,  at  six  cents 
per  pine,  a  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  the  first  crop, 
and  a  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  afterwards.  Whether 
these  fine  fruits  can  profitably  drive  the  inferior  pineapples 
of  the  West  Indies  from  our  markets,  is  yet  doubtful. 
A  wild  pine,  in  which  the  fruit  is  not  crowded  into  a 
compact  head,  but  is  more  acid  and  of  less  flavor,  is 
common  in  the  mountains  ;  but  I  have  never  seen  this 
species  offered  for  sale. 

Nutmegs.  —  While  I  do  not  know  of  a  dozen  trees  of 
the  nutmeg,  outside  of  the  Chocon  plantation,  the  soil  and 
climate  are  admirably  suited  to  this  tree.  The  nutmeg 
requires  at  least  eighty  inches  of  rainfall  per  annum, 
begins  to  bear  when  eight  or  ten  years  old,  and  improves 
for  a  century.  The  first  few  years  the  yield  is  from  one 
to  five  thousand  nuts,  of  from  sixty-eight  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  to  the  pound.  In  the  Botanic  Gardens,  Trini- 
dad, the  net  yield  per  tree  has  been  more  than  twenty 
pounds  (say  eighteen  hundred  nuts),  with  an  average 
price  of  fifty-four  cents  per  pound.  This  would  amount 
to  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre.  The  value  of 
the  mace  is  additional.  In  the  Chocon  region  the  trees 
have  not  yet  matured  ;  but  there  seems  no  doubt  that  the 
conditions  of  growth  and  fruitfulness  are  better  than  on 
the  Island  of  Trinidad,  and  with  these  trees  planted 
thirty  feet  apart,  or  forty-five  to  an  acre,  allowing  one 
third  to  be  male  or  barren  trees,  we  should  have  at  least 
1,600  x  30  =  48,000  nutmegs  to  the  acre.  Averaging  the 
nuts  at  ninety  to  the  pound,  the  crop  would  weigh  five 
hundred  and  thirty-three  pounds,  and  at  fifty  cents  per 
pound  would  amount  to  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  dol- 
lars.    Considering  the  less  expense  for  care  this  perma- 


VEGETABLE   AND   ANIMAL   PRODUCTIONS.  363 

nerit  crop  would  require,  the  profit  would  be   sufficient 
even  at  forty  cents  per  pound.     The  red,  fresh  mace  does 
not  bring  so  high  a  price  as  when  old  and  golden-colored. 
Maiz.  —  Indian  corn  (Zea  mays)  grows  well  all  over 
the  republic,  and  forms  the  most  important  food  of  the 
Indian  tribes.     Yet  the  kinds  cultivated  are  not  of  fine 
quality,  although   growing  freely.     The  stalks  are  often 
a  dozen  feet   high,  and   three    ears   are  not  uncommon. 
Three  crops  can  be  raised  annually.     The  corn  is  always 
stored  and  transported  in  the  husk.     When  the  Spaniards 
first  came  among  the  Central  Americans,  they  found  the 
milpas  of  maiz  carefully  cultivated  ;  and  as  to-day  the 
little  cornfields  are  found  all  over  the  country  cultivated 
precisely  as  the  ancients  were  doing  centuries  ago,  so  the 
product  is  to-day  prepared  and  eaten  in  the  same  old-time 
manner.     Mr.  Belt,1  in  his  work  on  Nicaragua,  —  unfor- 
tunately too  little  known,  —  describes  the  preparation  of 
maiz  better  than  I  have  seen  done  elsewhere.     He  says  : 
"  In  Central  America  the  bread  made  from  the  maiz  is 
prepared  at  the  present  day  exactly  as  it  was  in  ancient 
Mexico.     The   grain   is    first   of   all   boiled,   along   with 
wood-ashes  or  a  little  lime.     The  alkali  loosens  the  outer 
skin  of  the  grain,  and  this  is  rubbed  off  with  the  hands  in 
running  water  ;  a  little  of  it  at  a  time  is  placed  upon  a 
slightly  concave  stone,  —  called  a  metatle,  from  the  Aztec 
metatl,  —  on   which    it    is    rubbed    with    another    stone, 
shaped,  like  a  rolling-pin.     A  little  water  is  thrown  on  it 
as  it  is  bruised,  and  it  is  thus  formed  into  paste.     A  ball 
of  the  paste  is  taken  and  flattened  out  between  the  hands 
into    a    cake   about  ten  inches   diameter  and  three  six- 
teenths inch  thick,  which  is  baked  on  a  slightly  concave 

1  The  Naturalist  in  Nicaragua,  p.  56. 


364  GUATEMALA. 

earthenware  [or  iron]  pan.  The  cakes  so  made  are 
called  tortillas,  and  are  very  nutritious.  When  trav- 
elling, I  preferred  them  myself  to  bread  made  from 
wheaten  flour.  When  well  made  and  eaten  warm,  they 
are  very  palatable." 

Besides  the  importance  of  this  grain  for  human  food, 
it  is  necessary  for  the  horses,  who  could  not  well  endure 
the  hard  steep  roads  on  sacate  alone.  Much  might  be 
exported  to  the  neighboring  republics. 

Wheat. —  Throughout  the  uplands  much  wheat  is  grown. 
The  straw  is  generally  small,  but  the  grain  heavy  and 
good.  In  the  grain  centres,  such  as  Solola,  the  wheat 
is  inspected  and  weighed  by  Government  officials.  The 
seed  is  sown  in  drills  rather  than  broadcast.  I  found  the 
bread  made  from  this  home  wheat  of  a  uniformly  good 
quality,  though  sometimes  dark  colored,  —  indeed  it  is 
superior  to  the  bread  found  in  the  country  throughout 
the  United  States. 

Potatoes,  and  other  Food-Plants.  —  However  the  philos- 
opher may  try  to  confine  his  attention  to  those  products 
of  a  country  which  may  have  a  commercial  value,  be  he 
cynic  or  epicurean  he  will  be  interested  in  those  fruits 
and  vegetables  not  necessary  to  the  support  of  life,  but 
none  the  less  very  important  factors  in  human  comfort. 
I  have  briefly  noticed  the  principal  fruits  that  may  be 
exported  from  Guatemala,  and  have  passed  unnoticed 
the  scores  of  valuable  woods,  because  I  can  add  nothing 
to  the  general  knowledge  of  these.  For  the  same  reason 
I  have  omitted  the  hundred  and  one  drugs  or  medicinal 
plants ;  but  I  should  fail  in  my  duty  to  this  pleasant 
country  if  I  did  not  tell  of  some  of  those  fruits  and 
vegetables  that  add  to  the  pleasure  of  life. 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     365 

The  common  potato  I  have  already  mentioned  in  a 
former  chapter  (p.  136).  The  sweet  potato  (Batatas 
edulis)  will  grow  in  all  its  varieties,  from  the  huge  purple- 
fleshed  tuber  to  the  delicate  little  yellow  form ;  but  it  is 
very  little  cultivated.  The  yam  (Dioscorea)  is  much 
more  common,  but  dry  and  tasteless.  The  cocos  or  kalo 
( Colocasiwn  esculentum)  grows  well  in  the  wetter  lands, 
but  is  more  common  in  Belize  than  in  Guatemala,  and 
in  neither  place  attains  the  prominence  as  a  vegetable 
that  it  enjoys  in  the  Pacific  Islands  or  in  China  and  the 
East  Indies.  The  cassava  (Manihot  utilissima),  so  impor- 
tant a  food  in  South  America,  is  here  mostly  confined  to 
Carib  use,  and  I  have  never  seen  it  inland  or  on  the  south 
coast ;  as  a  dietary  its  importance  merits  attention,  and 
it  should  be  exported.  In  a  dry  climate  it  keeps  well, 
and  I  have  specimens  four  years  old  still  perfectly  good. 
Frijoles,  or  beans,  black,  white,  and  red,  are  very  abundant 
and  good.  The  Mexicans  are  the  greatest  consumers 
of  beans  in  the  world,  and  their  neighbors  southward 
probably  rank  next. 

The  breadfruit  (Artocarpus  incisa)  grows  remarkably 
well  in  Livingston  and  Belize,  although  I  think  the  fruit  is 
smaller  than  in  the  Pacific  islands.  Carefully  baked  when 
full  grown,  but  not  ripe,  it  is  a  fine  vegetable,  and  the 
baked  fruit  sliced  and  fried  is  a  delicacy.  The  odor  of 
the  uncooked  fruit  is  very  unpleasant.  Squashes,  cucum- 
bers (including  a  small  spiny  wild  one  which  is  very 
good),  melons,  grow  well,  and  pumpkins  are  planted 
among  the  corn,  as  in  New  England.  Indeed,  the  variety 
of  squashes  is  very  great,  and  one  may  see  a  dozen  or 
fifteen  kinds  in  a  single  heap.  They  are  fed  to  cattle  as 
pumpkins  are  with  us.     Some  are  so  hard  that  they  keep 


3G6  GUATEMALA. 

a  long  time.  The  chiote  (Sechium  edule)  is  a  rapid  grow- 
ing runner,  often  covering  the  houses,  and  bearing  a  fruit 
about  the  shape  of  a  pear  and  three  inches  thick,  covered 
with  soft  prickles.  This  was  abundant  all  through  the 
villages,  and  in  the  plazas  it  was  sold  parboiled,  fried, 
or  preserved  in  sugar.  It  tastes  much  like  a  vegetable 
marrow. 

Tomatoes  grow  everywhere,  and  are  of  great  impor- 
tance in  the  kitchen,  next  to  the  universal  chile  (Cap- 
sicum annuum).  Peppers  of  other  kinds  are  used, 
especially  a  large  green  one  which  is  stuffed  with  minced 
meat  coated  with  egg  and  crumbs  and  served  as  Chile 
relleno.  Pawpaws  (Carica  papaya)  are  common  (a  small 
wild  species  is  abundant  on  the  Pacific  coast) ;  and  the 
fruit,  as  large  as  a  cantaloupe,  and  filled  with  pungent 
seeds  like  those  of  the.  tropaeohim,  is  eaten  raw.  or  cooked 
in  tarts.  Its  juice  is  of  the  greatest  use  in  making  tough 
meat  tender.  The  akee  (Blighia  sapida)  is  much  like  a 
custard  when  cooked. 

The  avocado  (Persea  gratissimd)  is  one  of  the  fruits 
that  have  many  names.  In  Peru  it  is  called  palta,  and 
the  Mexican  ahuacatl  was  twisted  by  the  Spaniards  into 
aguacate  and  avocado,  and  the  English  corrupted  this  last 
into  alligator-pear.  Intermediate,  like  the  carica,  be- 
tween vegetable  and  fruit,  few  strangers  like  the  aguacate 
at  first.  There  are  many  varieties ;  but  the  best  is  pear- 
shaped,  weighing  about  a  pound,  with  a  shiny  purple, 
leathery  skin.  Between  the  skin  and  the  rather  large 
kernel  is  a  greenish  pulp  nearly  an  inch  thick,  which  is 
the  edible  part  of  this  delicious  fruit.  It  is  of  a  buttery 
consistency,  and  may  serve  as  substitute  for  butter,  and 
be  eaten  alone,  or  with   salt   and   pepper.     The  sapote 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     367 

(Lucwna  mammosa)  somewhat  resembles  the  aguacate  in 
the  size  and  position  of  the  edible  pulp ;  but  the  outside 
is  rough  and  brown,  and  the  salmon-colored  interior  is 
insipid  and  inferior. 

Among  the  first  rank  of  fruits  may  be  placed  the 
mango  (Mangifera  indica),  although  the  West  Indian  is 
far  inferior  to  the  East  Indian  representative.  As  a  mere 
shade-tree  the  mango  is  beautiful ;  but  the  rich  juicy, 
golden-meatecl  fruit,  slightly  tinged  with  a  flavor  of 
turpentine  in  the  poorer  sorts,  is  a  never-to-be-forgotten 
delight.  The  unripe  fruit  is  good  baked  or  made  into  a 
sauce,  when  it  much  resembles  apples  in  taste.  The  slip- 
pery, juicy  meat,  and  the  strong  fibres  which  attach  this 
to  the  large  flat  stone,  make  it  anything  but  an  easy  task 
for  the  novice  to  eat  this  fruit ;  he  should  have  plenty  of 
water  and  napkins  within  reach.  When  the  tree  does 
not  bear  well,  root-pruning  may  be  resorted  to,  although 
the  natives  usually  hack  the  stem.  I  have  planted  seeds 
of  the  sour  mango  sent  from  Hawaii,  and  they  have 
grown  rapidly  and  promise  well.  The  mango  may  be 
grafted  as  easily,  it  is  said,  as  the  cherry  or  apple. 

The  icaco  (Chrysobalanus  icaco),  or  coco-plum,  grows 
near  the  shore,  and  makes  an  excellent  preserve ;  so 
does  the  manzanilla,  a  small  crab-apple. 

In  the  interior,  a  tree  very  commonly  used  for  fences  is 
the  jocote  (Sjw?idias  purpurea?}.  This  bears  a  plum-like 
fruit  all  over  the  smaller  branches,  which  is  either  yellow 
or  red  when  ripe,  and  very  juicy.  The  stone  closely 
resembles  a  medium-sized  peanut.  The  juice  when  fer- 
mented makes  a  very  popular  drink  (ChicJia).  To  prop- 
agate the  tree  it  is  only  necessary  to  plant  a  branch  or 
cutting,  which  may  be  several  inches  in  diameter,  and  it 


368  GUATEMALA. 

takes  root  and  bears  the  next  season.  I  am  not  sure  of 
the  species  of  spondias,  but  it  is  much  smaller  than  the 
S.  dulcis  of  the  Pacific  Islands,  and  more  like  the  hog- 
plum  of  Jamaica.  Peaches  grow  in  the  highlands,  but 
of  the  poorest  quality,  and  the  trees  are  in  blossom  and 
fruit  at  the  same  time.  Figs  grow  very  well ;  yet  the 
Guatemaltecans  import  canned  figs  from  New  Orleans. 
The  star-apple  ( Chrysophyllum  cainito),  so  popular  in  the 
West  Indies,  the  mangosteen  (Garcinia  mangostana),  the 
must  delicious  fruit  of  the  East  Indies,  the  loquat  (Erio- 
botrya  japonica),  the  durian  (Durio  zibethinus),  that  foul- 
smelling  but  pleasant-tasting  fruit,  the  bhel  (^Egle 
miirmelos),  the  Marquesan  plum  (Spondias  dulcis),  and  a 
host  of  others  might  grow  here,  but  do  not. 

Guavas  or  goyavas  grow  wild,  but  are  of  very  poor 
quality ;  I  have  not  found  the  very  fine  strawberry  gua- 
vas, but  have  planted  seeds  of  the  black  guava,  the  best 
of  its  kind.  Cherimoyers  (Anona  cherimolia)  are  very 
common  in  the  uplands,  extending  even  into  the  region 
of  occasional  frosts.  A  red-pulped  variety  is  much  prized. 
The  sour-sop  (Anona  muricata)  is  cultivated  all  along  the 
coast,  and  is  seldom  absent  from  a  Carib  village.  Grapes 
grow  finely  on  the  Pacific  slope,  and  would  probably  do 
equally  well  on  the  north.  That  most  pleasing  fruit  of 
the  passion-flower  (Passiflora  sp.),  the  granadilla,  or  water- 
lemon,  may  be  found,  in  the  season,  for  sale  in  every  plaza 
in  the  highlands.  The  more  common  kind  is  of  the  size 
of  a  large  hen's  egg,  and  the  tough  shell  contains  an  aro- 
matic jelly  of  which  one  can  eat  almost  without  limit ; 
this  fruit  is  sold  at  ten  for  acuartil  (3  cents).  The  larger 
species  has  a  fine  purple  blossom  as  large  as  a  saucer, 
while  the  fruit  is  more  than  a  foot  long;.     These  vines 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     369 

are  easily  propagated  by  cuttings.  The  tamarind  ( Tam- 
ar Indus  officinalis)  is  found  all  over  the  country,  and  its 
P^Py  P°ds  make  a  wholesome  and  cooling  drink.  There 
are  many  other  fruits  which  I  have  not  tasted  and  can- 
not describe  ;  but  they  are  generally  those  that  a  stranger 
does  not  especially  like,  nor  are  they  abundant.  While 
our  common  garden  vegetables  can  be  easily  raised,  if 
kept  from  ants,  especially  from  the  ravages  of  the  zom- 
popos,  there  are  few  gardens  that  contain  any  of  them. 

With  food  for  man,  it  is  important  to  provide  well  for 
his  faithful  servants,  horses,  mules,  and  cattle.  On  the 
uplands  the  pasturage  is  good,  and  the  sheep  and  neat 
cattle  thrive.  On  the  lowlands  and  in  the  river  valleys 
grass  must  be  planted,  and  the  Guinea  grass  (Panicum 
jumentorum)  and  Bahama  grass  (Cynodon  dactylon)  are 
usually  chosen.  On  the  ridges  Paspalum  distickum  grows 
naturally,  and  in  the  interior  the  grass  is  the  same,  I  am 
told,  as  that  of  the  famous  plains  of  Yoro,  Olancho,  and 
Comayagua  in  Honduras,  where  one  acre  will  pasture  two 
animals,  while  in  Texas  four  acres  will  barely  feed  one. 

The  fauna  of  Guatemala  has  been  almost  as  much  neg- 
lected as  the  flora;  but  although  insect-life  seems  abun- 
dant, and  many  of  the  rivers  swarm  with  fish,  I  believe 
that  animal  life  is  comparatively  scarce.  Game  certainly 
is,  red-deer,  peccaries,  javias,  turkeys,  and  pigeons  being 
almost  the  whole  bag.  Among  the  mammals  the  monkeys 
are  here  fairly  represented,  the  little  white-faced  (Cebus 
albifrons)  being  the  most  attractive.  This  monkey  has  a 
face  nearly  devoid  of  hair,  and  as  white  as  a  European. 
The  hands  and  feet  are  very  well  formed,  the  nails  espe- 
cially so,  and  the  tail  is  quite  long.  It  seems  less  difficult 
for  him  to  stand  erect  than  for  most  monkeys,  and  when 

24 


370  GUATEMALA. 

domesticated  (an  easy  process)  he  is  an  affectionate  pet. 
The  howling-monkeys  (Mycetes  stentor)  will  be  remem- 
bered by  every  traveller  as  the  noisiest  of  the  noctur- 
nal animals.  Several  other  small  memos  are  common 
in  the  forests  (Simla  apella,  S.  fatueUus,  and  S.  capucina), 
where  they  feed  on  wild-figs  and  other  fruits.  The  pezote 
(Nassua  solitaria)  is  found  in  the  forests  of  the  eastern 
mountain-ranges. 

The  manatee,  or  lamantin  (Manatus  Americanus),  once 
found  in  the  Golfo  Dulce,  is  now  seldom,  if  ever,  seen  on 
the  coast  of  Guatemala,  although  still  found  in  British 
Honduras,  where  the  hide  is  used  for  whips,  canes,  etc. 
I  have  seen  the  tracks  of  the  danta  (Tapirus  Americanus) 
in  the  Chocon  forests,  but  never  the  animal,  as  its  habits 
are  more  nocturnal  than  mine.  Conies  (Lepus  Douglassi), 
taltusas  (Geomys  heterodus),  mapachines  (Procyon  cancri- 
vorus),  and  armadillos  (Dasypas  sp.)  are  common  articles 
of  food  among  the  Indios.  Red-deer  (Cervus  dama)  are 
found  in  the  interior.  Peccaries  (Jdbali,  Dicotyles  tajagu) 
feed  in  droves  in  the  bottom-lands,  and  are  perhaps  the 
most  dangerous  of  the  wild  animals  of  Guatemala ;  their 
sharp  tusks  will  cut  terribly,  and  the  little  beast  is  too 
stupid  to  be  frightened  away  when  thoroughly  angered. 
It  is  said  that  even  the  jaguar  fears  to  attack  a  drove,  but 
skulks  behind,  hoping  to  pick  up  a  straggler.  They  can, 
however,  be  tamed,  and  I  have  seen  them  with  domestic 
pigs  about  the  streets  of  San  Felipe,  Pansos,  and  other 
places.  The  white-lipped  peccary,  jaguilla,  or  warree 
(Dicotyles  torquatus),  makes  its  presence  known  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  by  the  peculiar  odor  emitted  from  a 
small  pouch  on  its  back.  The  hunter,  when  killing,  takes 
care  to  cut  this  sack  out  at  once,  or  it  would  quickly  taint 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     371 

the  entire  body  of  this  otherwise  good  pork.  In  the  open 
forests  I  have  often  found  peccary  tracks,  but  never  unac- 
companied by  the  full,  round  print  of  the  jaguar.  When 
pursued,  the  peccary  takes  readily  to  the  water,  and  swims 
rivers.  The  jaguar,  or  tigre,  as  he  is  always  called  in 
Central  America,  is  not  a  very  dangerous  animal,  as  he 
fears  man  much  more  than  man  fears  him.  The  tigre  is 
especially  fond  of  dogs,  and  will  enter  a  house  at  night  to 
carry  off  the  prized  morsel ;  sometimes  when  hungry  he 
will  persistently  resist  all  efforts  to  drive  him  away  from 
a  house-yard,  and  one  of  my  monteros  was  attacked  by  one 
when  sleeping  in  the  forest.  In  this  case  the  tigre  was  in 
complete  darkness,  and  was  badly  gashed  by  the  man's 
machete  ;  but  so  far  from  being  frightened,  he  actually  pur- 
sued the  montero  more  than  a  mile  to  the  nearest  house, 
where  a  gun  was  obtained  and  the  wounded  animal  shot. 
I  have  seen  skins  between  five  and  six  feet  long,  exclusive 
of  head  and  tail.  The  puma  (Felis  concolor)  is  more  com- 
mon in  the  mountain  regions,  and  the  "  lion  "  that  de- 
scended from  the  Volcan  de  Agua  and  ravaged  the  country 
about  the  young  City  of  Guatemala  (antigua)  was  of  this 
species.  The  ocelot  (Leopardus pardalis)  and  coyote  ( Canis 
ochropus)  are  also  found  in  the  interior. 

Of  creeping  things  the  warm  regions  of  the  earth 
are  supposed  to  be  prolific.  I  had  been  told  of  the  ter- 
rible serpents,  —  the  boas  that  hung  from  the  trees  and 
whipped  up  deer,  the  deadly  tomagoff,  and  others,  until 
I  was  ready  to  see  their  folds  around  every  tree,  or  their 
coils  under  every  bush.  I  was  to  be  deprived  of  a  swim 
in  the  rivers  and  lakes  because  of  the  alligators,  and  I 
must  beware  of  scorpions  and  centipedes.  Now,  in  fact, 
the  alligators  are  few  in  number,  small  in  size,  and  very 


o72  GUATEMALA. 

deficient  in  courage.  There  are  a  hundred  in  Florida  to 
every  one  in  Guatemala,  and  I  seldom  got  a  shot  at  any ; 
I  was  able  to  kill  only  one,  and  he  was  not  over  seven 
feet  in  length.  A  much  larger  one  came  ashore  to  lay 
her  eggs  near  a  house  on  the  Chocon  plantation,  and  was 
killed.  The  musky  odor  of  the  alligator  is  very  strong 
during  the  breeding  season,  and  the  eggs  (which  are 
eaten  by  the  Caribs)  have  a  very  strong  flavor.  They 
are  small,  —  less  than  three  inches  long,  —  alike  at  each 
end,  and  rough  ;  when  dry,  the  shells  contract,  and  finally 
split  in  spiral  strips.  Young  alligators,  not  more  than  a 
foot  long,  are  eaten,  it  is  said,  by  the  Indios. 

The  iguana  I  have  already  described.  So  abundant  are 
these  delicious  reptiles  that  they  are  sometimes  brought 
to  Belize  by  the  dory-load  ;  and  one  may  see  several  hun- 
dred Caribs  each  carrying  home  one  or  two  iguanas,  still 
alive,  but  with  toes  tied  together,  over  the  back.  Of 
other  lizards  there  are  many  kinds,  from  the  harmless 
little  fellows  which  make  a  squeaking  in  the  thatch  at 
night,  to  the  long-tailed,  crested  lizards  which  rob  the 
liens'  nests  and  even  make  way  with  the  small  chickens. 
Fresh-water  turtles  are  abundant,  and  one,  the  hikatee, 
is  excellent  eating  ;  so  are  its  eggs,  of  the  size  of  a  pul- 
let's, of  which  some  two  or  three  dozen  are  found  in  a 
nest  six  or  eight  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  sand. 
The  sexes  are  easily  distinguished  by  the  shape  of  the  tail, 
the  female  having  a  shorter  and  thicker  one.  The  sea-tur- 
tle (including  the  hawksbill,  so  valuable  for  the  tortoise- 
shell)  are  very  abundant,  and  are  caught  in  seines  by  the 
use  of  floating  decoys.  Some  of  these  turtle  weigh  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  their  steaks  are  white  and 
tender  as  the  best  vea*l.     I  have  never  been  on  the  shore 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     373 

at  the  egg-season,  and  so  can  say  nothing  of  the  taste  ; 
but  I  am  told  they  are  much  inferior  to  the  eggs  of  the 
iguana.  It  is  a  common  thing  to  capture  sea-turtles  which 
have  had  a  flapper  bitten  off  by  sharks,  and  usually  the 
wound  has  healed  well,  the  soft  scales  covering  the  stump 
completely. 

Of  the  frogs,  the  most  troublesome  are  those  which  get 
into  the  cisterns  or  behind  the  water-jars,  and  make  a 
very  loud  and  disagreeable  noise. 

On  the  Atlantic  coast  snakes  are  much  less  common 
than  on  the  Pacific.  Two  long,  slender  snakes,  quite 
harmless,  —  one  green,  the  other  reddish-brown,  —  are 
seen  once  in  a  while ;  but  although  the  natives  believe 
that  all  snakes  are  poisonous,  only  the  tomagoff,  —  a 
short,  thick  snake  of  dark  color,  —  the  rattlesnake,  and 
the  coral  snake  are  really  venomous,  and  these  are  rarely 
seen.  Stories  are  told  of  boas  seen  lying  across  a  road 
with  head  and  tail  concealed  in  the  trees  on  either  side  ; 
but  they  lack  confirmation,  and  perhaps  may  be  classed 
with  the  absurd  snake  story  told  by  Juarros.1 

The  supply  of  fish  is  good.  The  saw-fish  grows  to  a 
great  size,  and  its  teeth  are  very  long  and  sharp.  The 
jew-fish  is  large,  weighing  several  hundred  pounds,  and  is 
good  food.  Snappers,  mullet,  bone-fish,  king-fish,  and  a 
score  of  others  of  which  we  know  only  the  local  names,, 
including  one  with  solid  red  meat,  are  found  in  the  rivers 
and  bays.  Of  crustaceans,  the  crayfish  takes  the  place  of 
the  lobster,  and  a 'small  crab  is  common  among  the  man- 
groves and  in  swampy  forests ;  larger  crabs  come  to  the 
shores  in  breeding-time,  but  not  in  such  numbers  as  at 
Belize. 

1  CompendiOj  t.  ii.  p.  94,  Concerning  the  Tepulcuat. 


374  GUATEMALA. 

Scorpions  are  large  and  dreaded  ;  but  their  sting  is  not 
more  painful  than  that  of  a  hornet,  and  they  are  sluggish, 
and  not  abundant  even  in  their  chosen  haunts.  Centi- 
pedes are  seen  on  the  tree-stems,  and  many  are  drowned 
during  the  rains.  This  articulate  is  by  no  means  quick 
in  its  motions,  and  falls  a  prey  to  the  agile  cockroach. 

Spiders  are  abundant,  both  in  species  and  individuals ; 
and  Mr.  Frederick  Sarg,  of  Guatemala,  has  drawn  most 
beautifully,  and  carefully  described,  many  new  species. 
The  hairy  tarantula  is  the  most  dreaded  ;  but  others  found 
on  the  rocks  by  the  river-sides  are  perhaps  larger. 

The  birds  of  Guatemala  are  of  great  beauty ;  and  the 
quetzal  (Macroplianis  ?nocino),  the  pavo  {Meleagris  ocel- 
lata),  and  the  curassow,  are  perhaps  unsurpassed  in  splen- 
dor of  plumage.  The  wild  turkey  was  supposed  to  be 
peculiar  to  Honduras,  but  has  been  found  in  Verapaz. 
Toucans  with  enormous  bills  and  brilliant  colors,  parrots 
even  more  brightly  colored,  especially  the  guacamayo 
{Psittacus  macao),  and  many  species  of  humming-birds, 
frequent  the  river-banks  ;  the  palomas,  or  doves,  and  the 
social  and  noisy  yellow-tails  are  on  the  trees,  especially 
the  qualm  (Cec?°opia  sp.)  ;  the  white  cranes  and  the  great 
pelicans  frequent  the  shoals;  the  johncrows  (Cathartes 
aurea)  congregate  on  the  trees  about  the  towns  and  serve 
as  scavengers ;  and  owls,  hawks,  and  eagles  are  distinct 
elements  of  the  Guatemaltecan  avifauna. 

Not  less  brilliant  than  the  birds  are  the  lepidoptera. 
The  superb  blue  butterfly  (Morpho  sp.)  flits  among  the 
trees  with  its  wings  spreading  nine  inches ;  with  this  are 
smaller  relatives, — black,  blue,  carmine,  and  yellow  ;  some 
with  swallow-tails  (Papilionida?),  others  short  and  broad. 
Among  the  beetles  are  two  of  immense  size,  —  the  Her- 


VEGETABLE  AND  ANIMAL  PRODUCTIONS.     375 

cules  beetle  (Dynastes  Herculis)  and  the  harlequin  (Acro- 
cinus  longimanus) ;  the  former  attains  a  size  of  five  inches 
in  length,  and  the  latter  infests  the  rubber-trees.  Another 
beetle  —  one  of  the  Elateridse  (Pyropliorus  nyctoplxorus) 
—  gives  a  most  brilliant  and  constant  light,  quite  as 
bright  as  the  cacuyo  of  the  West  Indies.  All  through 
the  highlands  wasp-nests  of  large  size  and  curious  form 
are  seen  in  the  trees  ;  ants  also  build  mud-nests  in  the 
trees  and  on  posts.  Many  chapters  might  be  written  of 
the  habits  of  the  Central  American  ants,  which  are  per- 
haps the  most  abundant  of  indigenous  insects,  —  the  little 
"  crazy  ant,"  which  runs  rapidly  in  all  directions,  seem- 
ingly without  any  object ;  the  zompopos,  or  leaf-cutters 
(CEeodoma),  whose  trains  are  seen  all  through  the  for- 
ests, bearing  above  them  the  great  sail-like  fragments  of 
leaf  they  have  cut  to  stock  their  homes ;  the  comajen 
(white  ant),  which  destroys  dead-wood  and  is  intolerant  of 
light ;  the  fire-ant ;  and  many  others.  The  zompopos  are 
very  destructive  in  the  vegetable  garden,  and  indeed 
would  quickly  destroy  a  cacao,  orange,  or  coffee  planta- 
tion if  allowed  to  establish  their  immense  burrow  in  the 
midst.  Some  of  the  burrows  are  thirty  feet  in  diameter, 
and  can  only  be  destroyed  by  persistent  efforts,  —  fire, 
coal-tar,  and  carbolic  acid  being  the  best  agents  of  de- 
struction.1 The  sandflies  are  almost  unendurable  along 
the  coast  at  certain  seasons,  and  so  are  the  mosquitoes 
(the  genuine  Culex  mosquito,  with  striped  body  and  black 
lancet)  on  the  rivers.  House-flies  are  not  seen  at  Living- 
ston ;  but  all  through  the  country  the  "  botlass  "  is  a  pest. 
A  bite  by  this  fly  leaves  a  persistent  black  spot,  sur- 
rounded by  an  inflamed  circle.    Jiggers,  beef-worms,  and 

1  See  Appendix  for  account  of  the  habits  of  the  zompopos. 


376 


GUATEMALA. 


coloradias  are  troublesome  about  the  towns  and  where 
there  is  uncleanness.  The  garrapatos  {Ixodes  bovis)  are 
often  found  on  horses  and  other  animals,  and  when  full 
are  as  large  as  a  coft'ee-bean.  Man  does  not  escape  this 
pest ;  but  they  are  so  large  that  they  are  easily  picked 
off,  especially  if  one  has  a  monkey. 

Among  the  mollusks  the  conch  holds  an  important  place 
both  as  an  article  of  food  and  as  an  instrument  of  noise. 
Three  kinds  are  distinguished,  —  the  queen,  king,  and 
horse  ;  the  two  last  being  the  best  for  eating,  while  the 
first  is  much  sought  for  cameo-cutting.  A  fine  pink  pearl 
is  found  in  some  of  the  shells.  I  consider  a  conch-soup 
quite  equal  to  oyster-soup ;  but  it  is  said  (with  some  rea- 
son) to  be  a  strong  aphrodisiac.  Madrepores,  corals,  sea- 
fans,  and  the  varied  inhabitants  of  reefs,  are  found  in 
considerable  variety,  and  are  now  the  subject  of  collection 
and  study  by  at  least  two  competent  observers.  Jelly- 
fish (Medusce),  Portuguese  men-of-war  (Physalia),  and 
star-fish  (Asterias)  are  abundant,  and  a  naturalist  would 
have  a  good  harvest  on  the  cayos  and  reefs  of  the  Bay  of 
Honduras. 


Passiflora   Brighami,    Watson 


"1 


CHAPTER  XII. 

EARTHQUAKES   AND    VOLCANOES. 

MUCH  has  been  written  of  the  effect  upon  the  charac- 
ter and  feelings  of  a  people  caused  by  constant 
dwelling  among  the  more  marked  phenomena  of  Nature. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  eye  sees  all  that  is  im- 
pressed on  the  retina,  that  the  ear  catches  more  than  an 
insignificant  share  of  the  innumerable  sounds  falling  cease- 
lessly on  the  tympanum,  or  that  the  mind  interprets  many 
of  the  marvels  that  each  instant  presents  to  it.  Only  the 
educated  eye,  the  practised  ear,  the  cultivated  mind,  can 
appreciate  what  the  Creator  has  placed  before  it  in  this 
beautiful  world  whose  wonders  no  human  understanding, 
however  taught,  is  capable  of  wholly  comprehending. 
The  worldly  wisdom  of  the  saying  that  "  familiarity 
breeds  contempt  "  is  applicable  to  the  greater  portion  of 
humanity  ;  and  dwellers  among  the  Alps  cease  to  see,  if 
indeed  they  ever  saw,  what  strikes  the  dweller  on  the 
plain  with  awe  as  he  gazes  for  the  first  time  at  the 
Jungfrau.  To  a  thinking,  studying  man,  familiarity  is 
the  mother  of  awe. 

In  a  region  where  the  molecular  forces,  those  mighty 
slaves  of  a  Divine  Will,  are  working  out  of  doors,  so  to 
speak  ;  where  from  the  summit  of  a  volcanic  peak  one 
can  count  scores  of  others  ranged  on  his  right  hand  and 
on   his   left ;   where   he    can  see,  if  he   has  opened    the 


378  GUATEMALA. 

door  for  such  vision,  the  cooling  globe  wrinkling  with 
age,  the  force  of  contraction  liquefjung  in  fervent  heat 
the  solid  materials  of  the  earth's  crust  and  pouring  out 
into  daylight  the  molten  rock,  or  puffing  out  the  dust  of 
stones  ground  to  powder  in  the  gigantic  mill,  —  his 
heart,  his  brain,  his  very  being,  will  be  enlarged  by  the 
reflections  that  come  to  him  in  such  moments.  Not  so 
the  Indio  who  lazily  cultivates  his  milpa  on  the  lower 
slopes  of  this  same  volcano.  His  feet  never  seek  the 
summit,  where  no  maiz  can  grow.  He  knows  that  the 
ground  is  very  fertile  where  his  hut  is  placed  ;  he  has 
nothing  that  an  earthquake  can  destroy,  and  the  showers 
of  ashes,  while  injuring  his  present  crop,  are  a  pledge  of 
increased  fertility  in  the  future  ;  then  from  the  streams 
of  lava  he  can  run,  should  they  come  in  his  way.  When 
a  more  terrible  outbreak  of  the  great  mass  above  him 
disturbs  his  stolidity,  he  attributes  it  to  some  super- 
natural agency,  and  calls  upon  his  especial  saints  for 
the  protection  due  their  votary.  Have  not  the  Central 
Americans  baptized  their  volcanoes,  and  have  not  these 
huge  Christians  since  that  rite  been  quiescent  and  proper 
members  of  the  Church  ? 

The  people  who  live  in  the  midst  of  this  region  of 
volcanic  disturbances  have  not  been  elevated  by  commu- 
nion with  this  manifestation  of  the  agencies  of  Nature. 
Their  religion  is  not  autochthonic  ;  their  choicest  tradi- 
tions come  from  the  non-volcanic  lands  to  the  eastward, 
and  are  not  tinged  with  the  lurid  glow  of  the  earth-fires. 
Even  their  hell  is  no  fiery  furnace,  and  the  apostles  of 
an  Eastern  religion  introduced  to  their  imagination 
that  supposed  element  of  future  punishment.  Where  a 
suggestion   of   fire-worship    appears,   it   is  always   called 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         379 

forth  by  the  sun,  —  that  source  of  life  and  warmth  and 
growth. 

And  yet,  here  is  a  country  where  volcanoes  cluster, 
—  their  number  reaching  several  hundred,  —  where  hot- 
springs  are  more  common  than  the  cold-springs  in  most 
countries,  and  where  earthquakes  are  very  frequent  and 
destructive.  The  volcanoes  of  the  Hawaiian  Archipelago 
are  larger,  those  of  Java  more  destructive,  and  the  equa- 
torial group  of  South  America  is  loftier ;  but  here  be- 
tween Popocatepetl  and  Istaccuahuatl,  the  giants  of  the 
plain  of  Anahuac,  and  the  Costa  Rican  Turrialba  extends 
an  unbroken  line  of  mighty  cones  and  gaping  craters. 
Somewhere  on  that  line,  smoke  is  ever  rising  ;  and  at 
night  the  mariner  along  the  Pacific  coast  sees  the  beacon- 
fires  lighted  by  no  mortal  hand. 

We  must  not  expect  to  find  in  native  records  any 
careful  account,  or  even  notice,  of  eruptions  or  earth- 
quakes ;  if  referred  to  at  all,  it  will  be  much  as  in  the 
quotation  I  have  already  given  from  the  "  Popul  Vuh," 
where  Cabracan  is  said  to  be  in  the  habit  of  shaking 
the  mountains.  In  the  three  centuries  and  a  half  since 
Spain  sent  her  educated  sons  to  this  land,  with  the 
exception  of  some  three  hundred  earthquakes  and  half  a 
hundred  eruptions,  we  have  no  better  record.  While  it  is 
true  that  geology  has  existed  as  a  science  only  within 
the  present  century,  yet  one  would  suppose  that  a  catas- 
trophe causing  the  death  of  hundreds  of  people  and  the 
destruction  of  much  property  would  be  entered  with  some 
minuteness  in  the  annals  of  the  time  ;  but  were  it  not  for 
the  masses  and  church  processions  to  calm  the  trembling 
earth  or  appease  the  angry  mountains,  the  worthy  padres 
would  perhaps  have  failed  to  notice  these  disturbances  of 


380  GUATEMALA. 

Nature  in  their  parochial  records.  Even  the  stories 
we  have  of  the  early  experiences  of  the  Spaniards 
in  matters  of  vulcanology  are  so  mingled  with  devils 
and  unholy  work  that  they  are  nearly  incredible  ;  and 
the  stone  volumes  lying  about  the  mountains,  writ- 
ten by  the  hand  of  Nature,  rather  than  the  human 
chronicles,  must  be  our  guide. 

VOLCANOES. 

Stephens  has  described  some  of  the  Central  American 
volcanoes  from  personal  visits,  but  not  with  the  pen 
of  a  geologist,  and  in  the  last  years  of  the  French 
Empire  able  geologists1  redescribed  some  of  the  same 
peaks  ;  but  there  are  still  more  than  a  score  of  lofty 
cones  that  no  geologist  has  ever  ascended,  and  there  are 
many  rising  from  an  almost  unbroken  forest,  whose  vol- 
canic nature  has  not  yet  been  fully  determined.  Even 
in  the  present  age  of  physical  research  Central  America 
has  been  sadly  neglected ;  and  we  may  express  a  hope 
that  some  young  man  is  even  now  training  his  thews  and 
sinews,  and  hardening  his  constitution  by  virtuous  absti- 
nence and  careful  exercise,  as  well  as  training  his  mind 
to  interpret  and  his  eye  to  see  the  rich  harvest  that  here 
awaits  the  proper  explorer.  No  feeble  student  need  at- 
tempt the  task.  Death  surely  waits  for  him  in  the 
jungle,  on  the  precipices,  in  the  treacherous  craters,  even 
in  the  posada  to  which  he  brings  his  exhausted  frame, 
should  he  be  so  foolhardy  as  to  ascend  a  volcano  in  this 
tropical  climate. 

1  Dollfus  et  Montserrat,  Voyage  geologique  dans  les  republiques  de 
Guatemala  et  Salvador.     Paris,  1868. 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         381 

This  is  not  the  place  to  enter  into  a  scientific  descrip- 
tion of  even  the  little  that  is  known  of  the  volcanic 
phenomena  of  Central  America  ;  but  perhaps  my  readers 
will  pardon  me  if  I  make  some  few  quotations  from  what 
Mr.  Darwin  once  wrote  me  he  considered  the  poetry  of 
geology.  I  may  at  the  same  time  show  faintly  what  a 
tempting  field  there  is  for  the  truly  scientific  explorer.1 
What  I  have  said  already  will  be  my  excuse  for  inaccu- 
racies, and  I  can  only  claim  to  have  consulted  the  best 
authorities  when  my  personal  observation  fails,  and  they 
must  bear  the  blame  of  any  misstatements.  I  give  first 
a  list  of  the  principal  volcanoes,  then  of  their  best-known 
eruptions,  and  finally  an  enumeration  of  the  earthquakes. 
Hot  and  mineral  springs  are  very  frequent  all  over  the 
country ;  but  as  their  chemical  constituents  and  medi- 
cinal properties  have  not  been  determined,  and  their 
physical  peculiarities  are  not  noteworthy,  we  may  pass 
them  by  in  this  brief  survey  with  the  remark  that  the 
Indios  do  not  seem  to  have  made  much  use  of  their  medi- 
cinal virtues,  and  turn  at  once  to  a  catalogue  of  the  vol- 
canoes. From  what  I  have  myself  seen  of  the  extinct 
craters  in  the  republic  of  Guatemala,  I  am  convinced  that 
I  have  collected  in  this  list  barely  a  tithe  of  the  distinct 
volcanic  vents.  The  Soconuscan  volcano  Istak  has  never 
been  described,  and  some  have  doubted  its  existence ; 
of  the  others  whose  names  are  in  the  list  very  few 
have  been  examined  by  geologists.  Beginning  at  the 
extreme  northwestern  end  of  the  chain  in  Central 
America,  we  find  it  extends  south  fifty-five  degrees 
east ;    and    while    the    volcanoes   are    generally    in   line, 

1  Not  for  the  pseudo-geologists  who  see  glacial  action  on  every  bed  of 
recent  lava  or  in  every  railroad  embankment. 


382  GUATEMALA. 

there  are  several  subsidiary  lines  at  right  angles  to  the 
general  trend. 

IN    GUATEMALA. 

Name.  Present  State.       Last  Eruption.      Height. 

Tacana Quiescent            1855 

Tajumulco1 Extinct                                18,317(?) 

Santa  Maria  (Exancul)       .       .  "                                       11  415 

Cerro  Quemado       ....  Quiescent            1785          10,205 

Zunil Extinct 

Santa  Clara "                                         g  554 

San  Pedro "                                          8  125 

Atitlan Active                  1852            9,870 

Acatenango Quiescent                             13,563 

Fuego Active                  1880          12,075 

Agua Extinct                                  12,337 

Pacaya  (Pecul)      ....  Quiescent            1775           8,390 

Cerro  Redoiido       ....  Extinct                                  3,550 

Tecuamburro " 

Moyuta " 

Chingo "                                          6,500 

Amayo " 

Mita "                                        5,000 

Suchitan,  or  Santa  Catarina      .  "                       1469(?) 

Monte  Rico " 

JPala l-                                         5,460 

IN    SAN  SALVADOR. 

Apaneca Extinct                                    5,826 

Santa  Ana Active                                      6,000 

Izalco "                   constant       6,000 

San  Salvador-         .       .       .       .  "                                          <5  jg2 

Cojutepeque,  or  Ilopango  .       .  "                                         3,400 

San  Vincente Quiescent             1643            7,600 

Tecapa Extinct 

Usulutan " 

Chinameca Quiescent                              5,000 

San  Miguel Active                  1844            6,244 

Conchagua         .....  Quiescent                               3,915 

1  Vamlegehuchk'.  2  Rockstroh. 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES. 


383 


Name. 

Zacate  Grande 
Tigre    .      .      . 
Congrekoy  Peak 
Bonito 
Bay  Islands 


IN    HONDURAS. 


Present  State.  Last  Eruption.      Height. 

Extinct  2,000 

"  2,632 

Quiescent  8,040 


Extinct 


1,000 


IN    NICARAGUA. 

Coseguina Quiescent  1835  3,600 

Chonco        " 

El  Viejo  (Belcher,  1838)   .  "  5,562 

Santa  Clara       ....  "  4,700 

Telica Active  1850  3,800 

Orota Quiescent 

Las  Pilas "  4,000 

Axusco,  or  Asososco   .       .       .  Extinct  4,690 

Momotombo Active  1852  7,000 

Momotombito Extinct 

Guauapepe " 

Nindiri Quiescent 

Masaya Active  1858  3,000 

Mombacho Extinct  5,250 

Zapeton,  or  Zapatera    ...  " 

Ometepec Active  1883  5,050 

Madeira Quiescent  5,000 


IN    COSTA    RICA. 

Orosi Quiescent 

Rincon  de  la  Vieja        ...  " 

Miravalles Extinct 

Tenorio " 

Los  Votos,  or  Poas       ...  " 

Barba 

Irazu,  or  Cartago  ....  Active 

Turrialba Extinct 

Chiripo " 


1726 


8,650 

5,500 

10,500 

11,450 
12,533 


384  GUATEMALA. 

Besides  the  volcanoes  contained  in  the  preceding  list 
there  are  in  Columbia  three  volcanic  peaks  :  — 

Name.                                                            Present  State.  Height. 

Pico  Blanco Extinct  11,740 

Rovalo (?)  7,021 

Chiriqui (?)  11,265 

The  volcanoes  on  the  Atlantic  coast  have  been  little 
noticed.     Congrehoy  Peak  has  the  sharpest  cone  I  have 

ever  seen,  almost  equal- 
ling the  impossible  cones 
in  Humboldt's  drawings 
of    the    Cordilleras ;    and 

Congrehoy    Peak. 

I  regret  that  the  only 
photograph  I  was  able  to  make  of  the  mountain-top 
rising  above  the  low-lying  clouds  was  defective.  Trust- 
ing too  securely  to  my  camera,  I  did  not  measure  the 
angle,  although  the  sketch  I  made  just  before  is  quite 
as  the  mountain  looks.  The  sharpness  is  perhaps  the 
result  of  an  eruption  said  to  have  taken  place  a  few  years 
ago,  when  the  crater  fell  in  and  ashes  were  carried  as 
far  as  Belize,  —  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Belonging 
to  the  same  system  as  Congrehoy  and  Bonito  are  the 
Bay  Islands.  Of  these,  Utila  shows  streams  of  vesic- 
ular basaltic  lava,  and  fragments  of  a  more  compact, 
older  basalt  ;  but  I  have  found  neither  on  this  island 
nor  on  Roatan  any  signs  of  a  crater.  The  formation 
is,  however,  distinctly  volcanic,  and  apparently  of  a 
period  anterior  to  the  eruptions  which  built  the  Island 
of  Oahu  in  the  Hawaiian  Group,  —  I  judge  by  the 
amount  of  decomposition  and  degradation,  the  lavas 
in  both  cases  being  similar  in  composition  and  physical 
character. 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         385 

I  have  mentioned  the  deposits  of  volcanic  sand  found 
on  the  north  shore  of  the  Lago  de  Izabal,  in  a  region 
surrounded  by  what  are  thought  to  be  calcareous  moun- 
tains ;  and  I  may  add  that  several  peaks  in  the  Cocks- 
comb Range  of  British  Honduras  appear  from  a  distance 
of  perhaps  forty  miles  to  be  volcanic  cones. 

Passing  over  the  traditional  outbreaks  of  the  Central 
American  volcanoes  before  the  Conquest,  the  earliest 
recorded  eruption  was  that  of  Masaya  in  1522 ;  and  the 
Spanish  chroniclers  tell  a  very  amusing  story  of  the  at- 
tempt of  the  Dominican  friar  Blase  and  his  companions 
to  draw  up  the  molten  gold  (lava)  in  an  iron  bucket  from 
El  Infierno  de  Masaya,  or  Hell  of  Masaya.  The  bucket, 
as  well  as  the  chain  which  held  it,  melted  on  approaching 
the  lava  ;  and  the  pious  Churchmen,  instead  of  being  en- 
riched by  the  precious  metal,  were  poorer  by  the  cost  of 
the  expedition.  According  to  the  same  authority,  the 
Indios  at  certain  seasons  cast  living  maids  into  the  crater 
to  appease  the  fire,  that  it  might  not  break  forth  and 
injure  their  crops.  This  would  indicate  a  continued  state 
of  activity,  without  an  outbreak  from  the  crater,  much  as 
in  the  Halemaumau  of  the  volcano  Kilauea.  It  is  curi- 
ous that  in  Yucatan  the  Mayas  sacrificed  maidens  to 
water  by  casting  them  into  the  sacred  well  or  Cenote  of 
Chichen  Itza ; 1  and  a  similar  sacrifice  has  been  made  at 
Ilopango  in  modern  times.  In  1772  the  next  real  erup- 
tion took  place,  and  in  1858  another  slight  one.  The 
cone  is  directly  over  the  Lake  of  Masaya,  —  the  only 
source  of  water  in  that  dry  land  ;  and  its  ejections  are 
encroaching  upon  the  area  of  the  lake.  But  I  will  put 
the  eruptions  in  a  tabular  form  for  convenience  :  — 

1  Brasseur  de  Bourbourg,  ii.  44. 
25 


IS6  GUATEMALA. 

LIST    OF    THE    RECORDED    ERUPTIONS    IN    CENTRAL 

AMERICA. 

Year.  Volcano. 

1522 Masaya 

1526 Fuego 

1565 Pacaya 

1581 Fuego 

1582 

1585  and  1586    " 

1614 

1623 

1643 San  Vincente 

1651 Pacaya 

1064  .      . " 

1668 

1670 (?)  in  Nicaragua 

1671 Pacaya 

1677 

1686 Fuego 

1699 

1705 

1706 " 

1707 

1710 "    two  eruptions 

1717 

1723 Irazu 

1726 

1732 Fuego 

1737 

1764 Momotombo 

1770 Izalco  (formation  of) 

1772 Masaya 

1775 (?)  in  Nicaragua 

1775 Pacaya 

1785 Cerro  Quemado 

1798 Izalco 

1799 Fuego 

1803 Izalco 

1821 ( ?)  in  Nicaragua 

1829 Fuego 

1835 Coseguina 


EARTHQUAKES   AND   VOLCANOES.  387 

Year.  Volcano. 

1844 San  Miguel 

1847 (?)  in  Nicaragua 

1850 Telica 

1852 Momotombo 

1855 Tacana 

1855 Fuego 

1856 " 

1857 " 

1858 Masaya 

1869 Izalco 

1870 « 

1880 Ilopaugo  (Lago  de) 

1880 Fuego 

1883 Omotepec 

EARTHQUAKES. 

I  do  not  propose  to  weary  my  readers  with  a  list  of 
the  three  hundred  earthquakes  that  have  been  thought 
severe  enough  to  be  recorded ;  but  a  picture  of  Central 
America  would  be  unrecognizable  without  some  color  of 
the  natural  disturbances  that  are  inseparably  connected 
in  the  popular  mind  with  this  part  of  the  continent. 

In  1541  the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Guatemala,  now 
Ciudad  Vieja,  was  a  young  and  nourishing  city.  Founded 
in  July,  1524,  between  the  mountains  Agua  and  Fuego, 
in  the  place  called  Almolonga  ("  water-fountain  "),  with 
the  proud  title  of  "  City  of  Saint  James  of  the  Knights  of 
Guatemala,"  it  had  grown  to  a  respectable  size,  in  spite  of 
numerous  misfortunes,  to  which  Juarros  devotes  an  entire 
chapter  of  his  "  Compendio."  An  earthquake  in  1526,  so 
severe,  says  Bernal  Diaz  del  Castillo,  that  men  could  not 
stand,  seems  to  have  frightened  the  population  less  than 
did  an  enormous  lion  (puma  ?)  which  descended  the  forest- 
clad  slopes  of  Agua  in  1532  and  made  great  havoc,  until  a 
reward  of  twenty-five  gold  dollars  and  a  hundred  fanegas 


388  GUATEMALA. 

of  wheat  induced  a  peasant  to  kill  the  monster.  Politics 
had,  as  is  usually  the  case,  made  more  disturbance  than 
the  forces  of  Nature.  The  Conquistador  Alvarado  was 
recently  dead,  his  widow,  Dona  Beatriz  de  la  Cueva,  had 
claimed  the  government,  and  the  obsequies  of  the  dead 
and  the  ceremonials  of  the  new  ruler  were  agitating  the 
city  when  the  sudden  and  terrible  destruction  of  both 
ruler  and  her  capital  came.  Accounts  of  the  catastrophe 
vary,  as  is  usual  with  all  history,  —  which  some  one  has 
wisely  called  "  probabilities  and  possibilities  extracted 
from  lies  ;  "  but  from  nine  extant  descriptions  and  an 
examination  of  the  physical  marks  which  three  centuries 
have  not  wholly  effaced,  I  believe  the  following  to  be  a 
fair  story  of  the  event :  — 

September  is  always  a  rainy  month  in  Guatemala,  and 
on  Thursday,  the  8th,  a  storm  began  which  was  violent 
even  for  that  place  and  season.  Rain  fell  in  torrents, 
and  continued  to  fall  all  that  day  and  Friday  and  Satur- 
day. Two  hours  after  dark  on  the  last  day  a  severe 
earthquake  shock  was  felt,  and  from  Hunapu,  since 
called  the  Volcan  de  Agua,  came  an  avalanche  of  water, 
carrying  with  it  immense  rocks  and  entire  forests.  The  ter- 
ror  of  the  earthquake  and  the  roar  of  the  unseen  torrent 
wrought  the  excitement  of  the  inhabitants  to  the  utmost. 
Soon  the  deluge  reached  the  city  ;  the  streets  were  filled  to 
overflowing,  and  the  houses  were  beaten  by  the  waves 
and  battered  by  the  great  trees  brought  by  the  torrent. 
Among  the  houses  most  exposed  was  that  of  Dona  Beatriz, 
the  widow  of  the  Adelantado.  She  was  preparing  for 
bed  ;  but  startled  by  the  earthquake  and  the  terrible  noise, 
endeavored  to  obtain  safety  in  a  small  chapel  near  by, 
and  while  clinsinfr  to  the  crucifix  was  killed  by  the  fall 


EARTHQUAKES   AND   VOLCANOES.  389 

of  the  chapel  wall.  Her  house  was  uninjured.  All 
through  the  city  the  loss  of  life  was  very  great ;  six  hun- 
dred Spaniards  perished,  and  the  loss  of  Indios  and  Negroes 
was  far  greater.  In  the  morning  the  remains  of  the  city 
hardly  appeared  above  the  trees,  rocks,  and  mud  of  the 
avalanche.  It  was  then  that  the  disheartened  survivors 
decided  to  remove  a  league  eastward,  to  the  present 
Antigua. 

The  earthquake  did  not  destroy  the  city,  still  less 
was  there  an  eruption  of  water  from  the  volcano ;  but 
the  crater  of  the  long-extinct  cone  had  been  filled  with 
the  rains,  and  the  tremor  shattered  the  loose  dam  of  the 
crater-lip  and  let  the  great  body  of  water  down  the  steep 
side  of  the  mountain.  There  was  water  in  the  crater 
long  before,  and  the  crater  to-day  shows  marks  of  the 
broken  wall  and  emptied  lake.  The  destruction  of  the 
city  was  considered  a  judgment  of  Heaven  upon  Dona 
Beatriz  for  certain  impious  remarks  made  in  her  bereave- 
ment, and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  her  family  were 
able    to  bury  her  remains  in  consecrated  ground. 

On  May  23,  1575,  San  Salvador  (Cuscatlan)  was  de- 
stroyed by  an  earthquake  which  also  greatly  damaged 
Antigua.  Afterwards  the  latter  city  had  an  experience 
that  would  have  discouraged  the  people  of  any  Northern 
town,  for  in  1576  and  1577  it  was  badly  shaken,  and  on 
Dec.  23,  1586,  destroyed.  Then  it  was  rebuilt  enough  to 
be  again  shattered  on  Feb.  18, 1651,  and  again  on  Feb.  12, 
1689,  and  Sept.  29,  1717.  The  day  after  this  last  shock 
Antigua  was  destroyed  completely ;  but  for  all  that,  on 
March  4,  1751,  the  chronicler  writes  "  many  ruins,"  and 
then  the  centre  of  disturbance  goes  southward  for  a 
while.     In  April,  1765,  several  towns  were  destroyed  in 


390  GUATEMALA. 

San  Salvador,  and  the  next  month  many  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Chiquimula  in  Guatemala ;  while  during  the  fol- 
lowing October  the  "  earthquake  of  San  Rafael"  shook 
many  Guatemaltecan  towns  to  pieces. 

On  July  29,  1773,  Antigua  was  again  destroyed,  —  if 
such  a  thing  was  possible ;  and  although  her  inhabitants 
yielded  to  the  momentary  discouragement  and  permitted 
the  Government  to  be  removed  to  the  Valley  of  the  Hermit- 
age, they  have  never  allowed  the  ruins  to  become  desolate, 
and  to-day  the  traveller  gazes  in  astonishment  at  the 
shattered  walls  of  nearly  eighty  churches  still  the  orna- 
ment of  the  town.  The  Antigua  that  once  sheltered 
eighty  thousand  inhabitants,  beautiful  in  its  situation  and 
distinguished  by  its  architectural  display,  is  still  attrac- 
tive in  its  ruins  ;  its  forty  thousand  inhabitants  go  in  and 
out  under  the  shadow  of  the  volcano  and  await  the  next 
destruction,  which  may  come  to-morrow  or  years  hence : 
the  lesson  that  is  past  is  all  forgotten.  I  confess  my- 
self that  the  ruined  churches,  so  fresh  after  the  sun  and 
rains  of  a  century  have  penetrated  their  shattered  walls, 
inspired  no  apprehension  of  danger ;  they  were  objects  of 
great  interest  rather  than  warning ;  and  it  was  no  strange 
thing  that  those  born  in  that  charming  place  should  cling 
to  it  still. 

In  1774  nearly  all  the  towns  on  the  Balsam  Coast  of 
San  Salvador  were  ruined.  I  hope  my  readers  understand 
the  delicate  gradation  in  the  terms  used  in  speaking  of 
the  misfortunes  of  earthquake  countries.  A  place  is 
"  shaken,"  then  "  shattered, '  then  "  ruined,"  and  finally 
"  destroyed  "  by  the  visit  of  a  temblor ;  and  it  is  a  very 
nice  matter  to  decide  exactly  where  one  term  is  appropri- 
ate and  another  not. 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         391 

In  February,  1798,  San  Salvador  was  badly  shaken 

and  after  a  rather  long  rest,  broken  by  "  no  great  shakes," 

two  very  destructive  earthquakes  were  felt  in  March  and 

October,  1839.    On  Sept.  2,  1841,  Cartago,  in  Costa  Rica, 

was    destroyed  ;    in   June,   1847,   the  Balsam   Coast  was 

greatly  ruined  ;  on  May  16, 1852,  the  disturbances  occurred 

northward,  in  the  vicinity  of  Quezaltenango  ;  on  April  16, 

1854,  San  Salvador  was  destroyed, — not,  however,  for 

the  last  time.     On  Nov.  6,  1857,  Cojutepeque  was  badly 

shaken,  and  the  same  misfortune  came  upon  La  Union 

Aug.  25,  1859.      The  following  December  houses  were 

shattered   in  Escuintla  and  Amatitlan ;    Dec.   19,   1862, 

Antigua,    Amatitlan,  Escuintla,  Tecpan  Guatemala,  and 

the  neighboring  towns  were  severely  shaken  ;    June  12, 

1870,   Chiquimulilla   was    destroyed,   and   much   damage 

done  in  Cuajinicuilapa  ;  a  month  later  a  severe  earthquake 

was  felt  in  the  Departments  of  Santa  Rosa  and  Jutiapa  ; 

March  4,  1873,  San  Salvador  and  the  neighboring  towns 

were  destroyed,  —  a  process  they  must  have  become  quite 

accustomed  to  by  this  time,  —  and  eighteen  months  later 

it  was  the  turn  of  Patzicia  to  be  destroyed,  while  Chimal- 

tenango,  Antigua  and  the  vicinity  were  only  ruined.     The 

year  1878  was  marked  by  the  destruction  of  several  towns 

in  Usulutan,  San  Salvador,  and  on  Dec.  27  and  30,  1879, 

most  of  the  small  towns  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Lago 

de  Ilopango  were  overturned. 

Hardly  a  month  passes  without  some  slight  tremor  in 
western  Guatemala.  In  recent  years  so  much  more 
attention  has  been  paid  to  seismology,  or  the  observation 
and  record  of  the  time,  duration,  and  direction  of  earth- 
quake shocks,  that  the  longer  lists  seem  to  indicate  the 
increase  of  slight  tremors ;  but  this  is  not  probable,  and 


392  GUATEMALA. 

certainly  the  volcanic  eruptions  have  diminished  in  force 
and  frequency.  Fuego,  the  most  important,  lays  claim  to 
twenty-one  of  the  fifty  recorded  eruptions  of  the  Central 
American  volcanoes  ;  but  during  the  present  century  it 
has  cast  out  merely  sand,  and  no  lava  streams. 

I  have  never  had  the  experience  of  a  very  severe  earth- 
quake, although  I  have  had  the  pictures  swing  on  the 
walls  and  the  plastering  crack  and  fall ;  therefore  I  must 
borrow  the  description  of  an  earthquake,  that  the  list  just 
given  may  seem  more  real.  The  following  account  is 
considered  very  truthful :  — 

-•  The  night  of  the  lGth  of  April,  1854,  will  ever  be 
one  of  sad  and  bitter  memory  for  the  people  of  Salvador. 
On  that  unfortunate  night  our  happy  and  beautiful  capital 
was  made  a  heap  of  ruins.  Movements  of  the  earth  were 
felt  on  Holy  Thursday,  preceded  by  sounds  like  the  rolling 
of  heavy  artillery  over  pavements  and  like  distant  thunder. 
The  people  were  a  little  alarmed  in  consequence  of  this 
phenomenon,  but  it  did  not  prevent  them  from  meeting 
in  the  churches  to  celebrate  the  solemnities  of  the  day. 
On  Saturday  all  was  quiet,  and  confidence  was  restored. 
The  people  of  the  neighborhood  assembled  as  usual  to 
celebrate  the  Passover.  The  night  of  Saturday  was 
tranquil,  as  was  also  the  whole  of  Sunday.  The  heat, 
it  is  true,  was  considerable,  but  the  atmosphere  was  calm 
and  serene.  For  the  first  three  hours  of  the  evening; 
nothing  unusual  occurred ;  but  at  half-past  nine  a  severe 
shock  of  an  earthquake,  occurring  without  the  preliminary 
noises,  alarmed  the  whole  city.  Many  families  left  their 
houses  and  made  encampments  in  the  public  squares, 
while  others  prepared  to  pass  the  night  in  their  respective 
courtvards. 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         393 

"  Finally,  at  ten  minutes  to  eleven,  without  premonition 
of  any  kind,  the  earth  began  to  heave  and  tremble  with 
such  fearful  force  that  in  ten  seconds  the  entire  city  was 
prostrated.  The  crashing  of  houses  and  churches  stunned 
the  ears  of  the  terrified  inhabitants,  while  a  cloud  of  dust 
from  the  falling  ruins  enveloped  them  in  a  pall  of  im- 
penetrable darkness.  Not  a  drop  of  water  could  be  got 
to  relieve  the  half-choking  and  suffocating,  for  the  wells 
and  fountains  were  filled  up  or  made  dry.  The  clock- 
tower  of  the  cathedral  carried  a  great  part  of  that  edifice 
with  it  in  its  fall.  The  towers  of  the  church  of  San 
Francisco  crushed  the  episcopal  oratory  and  part  of  the 
palace.  The  church  of  Santo  Domingo  was  buried  be- 
neath its  towers,  and  the  college  of  the  Assumption  was 
entirely  ruined.  The  new  and  beautiful  edifice  of  the 
university  was  demolished,  the  church  of  the  Merced 
separated  in  the  centre,  and  its  walls  fell  outward  to  the 
ground.  Of  the  private  houses  a  few  were  left  standing, 
but  all  were  rendered  uninhabitable.  It  is  worthy  of 
remark  that  the  walls  left  standing:  are  old  ones  ;  all 
those  of  modern  construction  have  fallen.  The  public 
edifices  of  the  Government  and  city  shared  the  common 
destruction. 

"  The  devastation  was  effected,  as  we  have  said,  in  the 
first  ten  seconds ;  for  although  the  succeeding  shocks 
were  tremendous,  and  accompanied  by  fearful  rumblings 
beneath  our  feet,  they  had  comparatively  trifling  results 
for  the  reason  that  the  first  had  left  but  little  for  their 
ravages.  Solemn  and  terrible  was  the  picture  joresented 
on  the  dark  funereal  night  of  a  whole  people  clustering 
in  the  plazas  and  on  their  knees  crying  with  loud  voices 
to  Heaven  for  mercy,  or  in  agonizing  accents  calling  for 


394  GUATEMALA. 

their  children  and  friends  whom  they  believed  to  be 
buried  beneath  the  ruins.  A  heaven  opaque  and  ominous ; 
a  movement  of  the  earth  rapid  and  unequal,  causing  a 
terror  indescribable  ;  an  intense  sulphurous  odor  filling 
the  atmosphere,  and  indicating  an  approaching  eruption 
of  the  volcano  ;  streets  filled  with  ruins,  or  overhung  by- 
threatening  walls;  a  suffocating  cloud  of  dust  almost 
rendering  respiration  impossible,  —  such  was  the  spectacle 
presented  by  the  unhappy  city  on  that  memorable  and 
awful  night. 

"  A  hundred  boys  were  shut  up  in  the  college,  many  in- 
valids crowded  the  hospitals,  and  the  barracks  were  full 
of  soldiers.  The  sense  of  the  catastrophe  which  must  have 
befallen  them  gave  poignancy  to  the  first  moment  of  reflec- 
tion after  the  earthquake  was  over.  It  was  believed  that 
at  least  a  fourth  part  of  the  inhabitants  had  been  buried 
beneath  the  ruins.  The  members  of  the  Government, 
however,  hastened  to  ascertain,  so  far  as  practicable,  the 
extent  of  the  catastrophe,  and  to  quiet  the  public  mind. 
It  was  found  that  the  loss  of  life  was  much  less  than  was 
supposed ;  and  it  now  appears  probable  that  the  number 
of  killed  will  not  exceed  one  hundred,  and  of  wounded, 
fifty.  Fortunately  the  earthquake  has  not  been  followed 
by  rains,  which  gives  an  opportunity  to  disinter  the  public 
archives,  as  also  many  of  the  valuables  contained  in  the 
dwellings  of  the  citizens.  The  movements  of  the  earth 
still  continue,  with  strong  shocks ;  and  the  people,  fearing 
a  general  swallowing  up  of  the  site  of  the  city,  or  that  it 
may  be  buried  under  some  sudden  eruption  of  the  volcano, 
are  hastening  away."  In  1859  the  city  was  again  in  order, 
as  the  seat  of  government,  after  an  ineffectual  attempt  to 
remove  it  to  the  plain  of  Santa  Tecla,  ten  miles  distant. 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         395 

The  birth  of  the  volcano  of  Izalco  occurred  in  1770.  It 
is,  indeed,  only  a  lateral  opening  of  the  volcano  of  Santa 
Ana,  which,  like  iEtna,  is  a  mother  of  mountains.  San 
Marcellino,  Naranjo,Tamasique,  Aguila,  San  Juan,  Launita, 
and  Apaneca  all  seem  to  be  her  offspring.  Near  the  base 
of  the  main  volcano  was,  previous  to  1770,  a  large  cattle 
rancho.  At  the  close  of  1769  the  people  on  this  estate 
were  alarmed  by  subterranean  noises  and  earthquake 
shocks,  which  continued  to  increase  in  loudness  and 
severity  until  February  23,  when  the  earth  opened 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  houses  on  the  hacienda, 
emitting  fire,  smoke,  and  lava.  The  house-people  fled 
from  so  terrible  a  neighbor ;  but  the  vaqueros,  or  cow- 
boys, who  came  daily  to  see  the  new  monster,  declared 
it  grew  worse  and  worse,  throwing  out  more  smoke  and 
flame  daily,  and  that  while  the  flow  of  lava  sometimes 
stopped  for  a  while,  vast  quantities  of  sand  and  stones  were 
thrown  out  instead.  For  more  than  a  century  this  action 
has  gone  on,  and  the  ejecta  have  formed  a  cone  more  than 
six  thousand  feet  high,  or  higher  than  Vesuvius.  At  in- 
tervals of  from  ten  to  twenty  minutes,  loud  explosions  oc- 
cur, with  dense  smoke  and  a  puff  of  cinders  and  stones. 
By  night  the  view  from  Sonsonate  is  very  attractive,  as  the 
cloud  of  smoke  is  illuminated  by  the  molten  mass  within, 
and  the  red-hot  stones  shoot  through  this  darker  mass  and 
seem  to  ignite  vapors,  which  flash  like  lightning.  As  these 
stones  roll  down  the  steep  sides  of  the  cone,  they  leave  a 
faint  track  some  distance  (optical,  probably),  and  sometimes 
the  caldron  boils  over,  sending  rills  of  molten  lava  down 
the  cone.  Well  may  the  sailors  call  this  "  El  faro  de 
Salvador,"  —  the  lighthouse  of  Salvador.  Like  Stromboli, 
it  is  always  active ;  and  while  most  volcanoes  are  noted  for 


o'JG  GUATEMALA. 

the  irregularity  of  their  eruptions,  Izalco  is  exceedingly 
regular,  though  sometimes  acting  with  unusual  violence 
( 1798, 1869, 1870).  The  volcano  of  Tanna,  in  the  western 
Pacific,  exhibits  this  same  pulsating  character. 

San  Miguel  is  the  largest  active  volcano  in  San  Salvador, 
rising  from  the  plain  to  a  height  of  perhaps  sixty-five  hun- 
dred feet.  Like  most  of  the  Central  American  volcanoes, 
its  mass  is  a  very  regular  cone,  and  its  form,  size,  and 
beautiful  colors  render  it  one  of  the  grandest  objects  of  its 
class.  From  the  deep  green  of  the  forest  which  surrounds 
its  base,  the  color  fades  to  the  light  green  of  the  upland 
grass,  then  to  the  deep  red  of  the  scoriae,  and  the  top  is 
grayish-white.  Above  all,  the  ever-changing  cloud  of 
smoke  floats  lazily  away.  Of  all  the  accounts  of  ascents 
of  Central  American  volcanoes,  I  have  selected  the  account 
published  many  years  ago  by  Don  Carlos  Gutierrez  of  his 
ascent  of  San  Miguel,  because  it  seems  to  convey  a  fair 
idea  of  the  simplest  form  of  mountain-climbing  and  of  the 
appearance  of  an  active  cone.     He  says :  — 

"  We  started  from  the  city  of  San  Miguel  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  7th  of  December,  1848,  directing  our  course 
towards  the  western  border  of  the  plain  where  rises  the 
dark  bulk  of  the  volcano.  At  eleven  o'clock  at  night  we 
reached  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  distant  four  leagues  from 
the  town.  Although  the  moon  shone  with  extraordinary 
brilliancy  and  the  night  was  one  of  serenest  beauty,  yet 
we  considered  it  safer  to  take  shelter  in  an  Indian  hut  for 
the  remainder  of  the  niojit  than  trust  ourselves  among;  the 
fissures  of  the  mountain  in  the  treacherous  moonlight. 
At  four  in  the  morning,  with  the  earliest  dawn  of  clay,  we 
commenced  our  ascent  on  horseback.  We  however  soon 
found  our  course  so  much  impeded  by  masses  of  lava,  over 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         397 

which  it  was  difficult  to  force  the  animals,  that  we  were 
compelled  to  dismount  and  pursue  our  journey  on  foot. 
About  half  way  up  the  mountain  the  dikes  of  lava  became 
less  frequent,  and  the  ground  more  firm  and  open,  and, 
although  quite  precipitous,  yet  not  difficult  of  ascent. 
This  open  belt,  however,  does  not  extend  to  the  summit, 
and  long  before  we  reached  it  we  were  again  driven  upon 
the  beds  of  sharp,  rough,  and  unsteady  lava. 

"  Our  course  now  lay  through  a  deep  channel  formed 
between  two  vast  currents  of  lava,  composed  of  enormous 
crags,  which  in  1844  had  flowed  out  from  fissures  in  the 
side  of  the  volcano.  We  had  not  proceeded  far  between 
these  walls  of  rock  when  we  found  the  scoriae  beneath 
our  feet  so  yielding  and  unsteady  that  we  could  scarcely 
retain  our  foothold.  Frequently  we  slid  back  three  or  four 
yards,  thus  losing  in  a  moment  the  advance  which  it  had 
cost  us  great  labor  to  accomplish.  Nevertheless,  after  many 
efforts  and  through  much  exertion,  and  after  having  suf- 
fered several  severe  falls,  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
throat  of  the  mountain.  Here  the  lava  was  solid  and  the 
scoriae  firm  ;  and  though  the  slope  was  very  steep  and  dan- 
gerous, yet  we  found  it  easier  to  proceed  here  than  over 
the  soft  and  yielding  ashes  below. 

"  About  mid-clay  we  reached  the  summit  proper  of  the 
mountain  and  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  great  crater, 
which  is  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  immense  rocks,  irregu- 
lar in  height,  and  having;  a  circuit  of  a  mile  and  a  half. 
The  area  within  these  strange  bulwarks  is  level ;  but  on 
descending,  we  found  with  alarm  that  it  was  traversed 
in  every  direction  by  profound  fissures,  varying  from  one 
foot  to  five  yards  in  width,  from  which  escaped  dense 
clouds  of  sulphurous  smoke.     About  in  the  centre  of  this 


398  GUATEMALA. 

area  was  the'  yawning,  active  crater,  or  mouth  of  the 
crater,  or  mouth  of  the  volcano.  Our  guide  peremptorily 
refused  to  advance  farther,  insisting  that  we  were  liable 
at  any  moment  to  sink  into  some  one  of  the  numerous 
fissures  which  yawned  beneath  the  superficial  crust.  He 
added  further  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  crater  the 
gases  were  so  pungent  and  the  sulphurous  odor  so  over- 
whelming that  we  could  not  escape  suffocation. 

"  The  alarm  with  which  our  guide  endeavored  to  inspire 
us  did  not,  however,  get  the  better  of  our  curiosity,  and 
we  determined  to  reach  the  crater.  Providing  ourselves 
with  long  staves  with  which  to  test  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  we  advanced  carefully  and  slowly.  At  every  step 
the  clouds  of  smoke  became  more  dense,  and  the  odor  of 
the  gases  escaping  from  the  multitudinous  fissures  more 
overpowering.  Our  efforts,  however,  were  amply  repaid 
by  the  sight  which  met  our  eyes  when  we  finally  reached 
the  brink  of  the  crater.  Nothing  could  be  grander  or 
more  magnificent. 

"  A  few  months  before,  I  had  seen  the  volcano  of  Izal- 
co,  with  its  crown  of  living  fire  and  its  flashing  tongues 
of  flame,  throwing  out  floods  of  incandescent  lava ; 
but  sublime  as  was  the  spectacle,  it  paled  and  grew 
tame  in  comparison  with  that  before  us.  The  crater,  as 
before  observed,  is  in  the  centre  of  the  level  area  which  I 
have  described.  It  is  of  irregular  width,  in  some  places 
only  ten  or  twelve  yards  broad  ;  in  others,  fifty  or  sixty, 
dividing  the  greater  crater  from  side  to  side.  The  depth 
of  this  orifice,  or  cleft,  is  so  great  that  the  eye  cannot 
fathom  it.  One  sees  only  a  vast  gulf  of  molten  lava, 
over  which  plays  a  pale  and  sulphurous  flame,  reflected 
again  and  again  from  burned  and  blistered   rocks,  fan- 


EARTHQUAKES  AND   VOLCANOES. 


399 


tastic  in  shape  and  capricious  in  position,  which  form  the 
walls  of  the  orifice.  Thick  whorls  of  smoke  drifted  up 
from  all  sides,  so  that  at  times  I  was  unable  to  distin- 
guish my  companion,  distant  only  a  few  yards.  An  inde- 
scribable magnetic  influence  or  fascination  seemed  to 
rivet  our  eyes  on  the  molten  floods  surging  below  us,  and 
which,  from  their  roar  and  vibrations,  seemed  to  threaten 
momentarily  to  rise  and  overwhelm  us,  as  if  the  volcano 
were  on  the  verge  of  eruption. 

"  Our  contemplations  of  this  fearful  orifice  were  there- 
fore brief,  the  smoke  and  odor  overpowered  us  ;  and 
in  a  few  moments  we  were  forced  to  abandon  our  posi- 


Volcan  de   Coseguina,   from   the   Sea. 

tions  and  seek  a  breath  of  pure  air  at  a  distance.  We 
returned  rapidly  to  the  place  where  we  had  left  our  guide  ; 
and  casting  a  farewell  glance  over  the  strange  area  before 
us,  commenced  our  descent,  reaching  San  Miguel  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  weary  and  exhausted." 

Of  the  eruptions  of  the  Central  American  volcanoes 
none  in  the  historical  period  have  surpassed  that  of  Cose- 
guina in  1835.  This  mountain  forms  the  eastern  gate- 
ward  of  the  Gulf  of  Fonseca,  Conchagua  rising  on  the 
other  side  of  the  rather  narrow  entrance.  Not  remarka- 
bly high  (3,600  feet),  it  rises  directly  from  the  sea,  and 
by   its    irregular    outline,    scarred    slopes,    and    desolate 


400  GUATEMALA. 

appearance  conveys  the  impression  of  a  greater  than  its 
real  mass.  On  the  20th  of  January,  1835,  the  disturb- 
ance began  with  very  loud  explosions,  heard  for  a  hundred 
leagues.  Above  the  mountain  rose  an  inky  cloud  which 
spread  outwards  precisely  as  Pliny  describes  the  terrible 
cloud  that  rose  above  Vesuvius  in  79,  spreading  like  an 
Italian  pine.  From  this  column  of  heated  vapor  and 
sand  darted  lightning-flashes,  produced  either  by  the 
friction  of  the  immense  quantity  of  rough  mineral  parti- 
cles, or  by  the  sudden  projection  of  hot  gases  and 
minerals  into  the  much  cooler  atmosphere.  As  the  cloud 
spread,  the  light  of  the  sun  was  obscured,  everything 
looked  sickly  in  the  yellow  light,  and  the  falling  sand 
irritated  both  eyes  and  lungs.  For  two  days  the  explo- 
sions grew  more  frequent  and  louder,  while  the  eruption 
of  sand  increased  ;  and  on  the  third  day  the  terrible  noises 
were  loudest  in  an  almost  absolute  darkness.  The  rain  of 
sand  continued  until  a  deposit  of  several  feet  had  formed 
for  many  leagues  around  the  crater.  At  Leon,  in  Nicara- 
gua, more  than  a  hundred  miles  away,  the  sand  was 
several  inches  deep,  and  it  fell  in  Vera  Cruz.  Jamaica, 
Santa  Fe  cle  Bogota,  and  over  an  area  nearly  two  thou- 
sand miles  in  diameter.  At  Belize  the  noise  of  the  ex- 
plosions was  so  loud  that  the  commandant  mustered  his 
troops  and  manned  the  forts,  thinking  there  was  a  naval 
action  off  the  anchorage.  For  eight  hundred  miles  these 
noises  were  heard,  and  the  vibrations  near  the  volcano 
must  have  been  indeed  terrible.  AVe  can  credit  the  ac- 
counts of  the  terror  of  the  wild  things  of  Nature  as  well 
as  of  human  beings.  For  thirty  leagues  around,  the  as- 
tounded people  believed  that  the  Last  Judgment  had 
come,  and  in  the  darkness,  thick  with  the  falling  ashes, 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         401 

groped  hither  and  thither,  bearing  crosses .  and  uttering 
prayers  inaudible  to  themselves  in  the  crash  of  elements. 
At  the  end  of  forty-three  hours  the  earthquakes  and  ex- 
plosions ceased,  and  with  a  strong  wind  the  ashes  were 
gradually  blown  away  from  the  atmosphere.  The  return- 
ing light  of  day  showed  a  gloomy  outlook.  Ashes  cov- 
ered the  country  on  every  side.  On  Coseguina  a  crater 
had  opened  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  vast  streams  of  lava 
had  flowed  into  the  gulf  on  one  side,  and  into  the  ocean 
on  the  other.  While  the  verdure  was  gone  from  the  land, 
pumice  covered  the  sea  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

Terrible  as  was  this  outbreak,  the  explosive  violence 
was  not  so  great  as  of  the  eruption  from  some  unknown 
vent  whose  deposits  are  about  Quiche  in  Guatemala,  in 
the  valley  of  the  Chixoy,  and  elsewhere  ;  and  Pacaya  has 
in  some  prehistoric  time  thrown  out  sand  and  pumice  in 
greater  quantity  than  did  Coseguina,  as  we  see  by  the 
deposits  about  the  Lago  de  Amatitlan. 

AVith  the  mention  of  the  Lago  de  Amatitlan  it  occurs 
to  me  that  the  so-called  volcanic  lakes  of  Central  America 
deserve  a  short  notice.  I  would  not  claim  that  there  are 
not  here  genuine  pit-craters  filled  with  water  and  called 
lagos  or  lagunas.  On  the  summit  of  many  of  the  extinct 
volcanoes  are  craters  filled  with  water,  as  Ipala  and 
others,  and  as  Agua  was  before  the  destruction  of  the 
crater-lip  in  1541 ;  while  in  San  Salvador  and  Nicaragua 
are  many  lakes,  usually  of  small  extent,  but  sometimes 
so  large  as  to  mislead  the  casual  observer  as  to  their  ori- 
gin, though  of  undoubtedly  volcanic  nature.  Of  this  last 
class  is  the  Lago  de  Masaya,  from  whose  deep  pool  the 
people  of  the  neighboring  village  obtain  all  their  water. 
Coatepeque  is  another  volcanic  lake,  whose  walls  are  so 

26 


402  GUATEMALA. 

steep  that  they  can  be  descended  only  at  certain  points  by 
means  of  ladders  and  steps  cut  in  the  lava  rock.  Finally 
there  are  many  pits,  sometimes  no  more  than  a  hundred 
feet  in  diameter,  but  of  very  great  depth,  and  filled  some- 
times with  fresh  water,  but  more  commonly  with  saline 
waters  so  strongly  impregnated  as  to  be  undrinkable. 
The  great  lakes  of  Amatitlan  and  Atitlan  are  not  cer- 
tainly volcanic,  although  their  shores  are  dotted  with 
hot-springs  and  guarded  by  volcanoes,  —  they  are  not, 
that  is,  actual  craters ;  but  the  former  seems  to  be  the 
result  of  a  subsidence  caused  perhaps  by  the  removal 
of  material  from  lower  layers  by  eruptions  of  Pacaya, 
and  it  is  of  no  considerable  depth,  while  good  authority 
has  considered  the  Lago  de  Atitlan  the  result  of  damming 
up  a  valley  and  streams  by  the  masses  of  the  volcanic 
group  of  the  same  name.  A  glance  at  the  map  of  this  lake 
(p.  154)  as  given  by  the  French  geologists  whose  opinion 
is  quoted,  will  show  that  the  volcanoes  occupy  a  position 
not  far  from  the  geometrical  centre  of  the  Lago,  or  where 
they  should  be  if  the  lake  was  an  ancient  crater.  Com- 
pare with  this,  if  you  will,  the  plan  of  an  undoubted 
volcanic  lake,  that  of  Ilopango  in  San  Salvador.  This 
body  of  water  is  not  only  the  seat  of  volcanic  eruptions, 
as  is  also  the  Great  Lake  of  Nicaragua,  but  probably  fills 
a  depression  that  has  been  the  result  of  the  coalescence 
of  several  points  of  eruption.  I  have  before  me  the 
interesting  report  to  the  Guatemaltecan  Government  by 
my  friend  Edwin  Rockstroh  of  his  observations  made  on 
the  eruption  of  one  of  these  craters  in  1880.  The  lake  is 
9,200  metres  wide  from  east  to  west,  and  7,300  metres 
from  north  to  south,  with  an  area  of  54.3  kilometres. 
Completely  surrounded  by  precipitous  mountains,  inter- 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES. 


403 


rupted  only  on  the  southeast  by  the  narrow  gorge 
through  which  the  waters  of  the  lake  are  discharged, 
it  receives  no  important  affluents  from  the  surface ;  and 
as  its  emissary  is  of  much  greater  volume  at  all  seasons 
than  these  insignificant  brooks,  it  is  probably  fed  by  sub- 
terranean springs,  —  indeed  one  of  these,  near  the  south 


CERRO   ue   ciotcux 


a        ^ 


Lago  de    llopango,    I  880. 


shore,  enters  with  such  force  as  to  cause  a  ripple  on  the 
surface  of  the  lake.  Soundings  indicate  a  cup-like  bottom 
with  an  extreme  depth  of  less  than  seven  hundred  feet 
(209.26  metres).  The  level  of  the  lake  has  often  changed, 
and  in  1880  the  surface-level  fell  more  than  thirty-four 
feet,  leaving  exposed  stumps  of  trees  encrusted  with  cal- 
careous deposits.  It  was  before  the  last  eruption  well 
stocked  with  fish  of  the  varieties  called  by  the  people 
who  lived  near  by  mojewra,   hurrito  (both  species  of  the 


404  GUATEMALA. 

genus  Hei%os),  pepesca,  and  chinibolo.  At  times  an  erup- 
tion of  sulphurous  gases  partly  asphyxiated  the  fish, 
driving  them  to  the  shores,  where  they  fell  a  prey  to 
the  fishermen.  What  the  fishermen  did  on  occasion  of 
greater  disturbances  is  told  in  the  following  extract  from 
a  Guatemaltecan  journal ; 1  the  author,  Don  Camillo  Gal- 
van,  formerly  Visitador-General,  writes  as  follows  :  — 

"The  people  of  the  pueblos  around  the  lake,  Cojute- 
peque,  Texacuangos,  and  Tepezontes,  say  that  when  the 
earthquakes  came  from  the  lake,  which  they  knew  by  the 
disappearance  of  fish,  it  was  a  sign  that  the  monster  lord 
of  those  regions  who  dwelt  in  the  depths  of  the  lake  was 
eating  the  fish,  and  probably  would  consume  them  all 
shortly,  unless  provided  with  a  more  delicate  and  juicy 
diet  worthy  of  his  power  and  voracity ;  for  they  say  that 
the  monster  only  eats  fish  as  men  eat  fruit,  to  refresh  and 
allay  hunger.  The  natives,  deeply  afflicted  by  the  fish 
famine,  the  failure  of  an  article  of  commerce  and  their 
ordinary  diet,  collected  at  the  command  of  their  chiefs. 
Then  the  sorcerers  (los  brujos)  commanded  the  people  to 
throw  flowers  and  fruits  into  the  lake :  if  the  trem- 
blings continued,  they  were  to  cast  in  animals,  preferring 
conies  {Lepus  Douglass  ii),  taltusas  (Geomys  heterodus), 
then  armadillos  (Dasypus),  and  mapachines  (Procyon 
cancrivorus).  These  animals  must  be  caught  alive  and 
cast  living  into  the  water,  under  penalty  of  no  less  than 
hanging  with  the  vine  zinalc.  If  some  davs  passed,  and 
the  tremors  continued,  and  the  fish  did  not  come  out  of 
their  caves,  they  (the  brujos)  took  a  girl  of  from  six  to 
nine  years  old,  decked  her  with  flowers,  and  at  midnight 
the  wizards  took  her  to  the  middle  of  the  lake  and  cast 

1  La  Sociedad  Economics,  No.  6,  March  14,  1880. 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.         405 

her  in,  bound  hand  and  foot  and  with  a  stone  fast  to  her 
neck.  The  next  day,  if  the  child  appeared  upon  the  sur- 
face and  the  tremors  continued,  another  victim  was  cast 
into  the  lake  with  the  same  ceremonies. 

"Even  in  the  years  1861  and  1862,  when  I  visited 
these  towns,  they  told  me,  though  with  much  reserve, 
that  the  people  of  Cojutepeque  and  Chinameca  kept  this 
barbarous  custom  to  prevent  the  failure  of  the  fish." 

Near  the  end  of  November,  1879,  a  series  of  earth- 
quakes shook  the  lake  (more  than  six  hundred  were 
counted),  and  on  Jan.  11,  1880,  the  waters  had  risen 
about  four  feet.  On  the  next  day,  between  half-past 
four  and  half-past  seven  in  the  afternoon,  13,790,000 
cubic  metres  of  water  escaped  from  the  outlet  of  the  lake, 
making  a  stream  of  greater  volume  than  the  Seine  at 
Paris  or  the  Rhine  at  Basle.  The  little  river  Jiboa, 
which  received  this  torrent,  did  great  damage  to  the 
plantations  on  its  banks. 

As  is  usual,  the  earthquakes  were  accompanied  by  the 
discharge  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  now  in  such  quan- 
tities as  to  be  very  unpleasant  at  the  city  of  San  Salvador. 
On  the  9th  of  January  there  appeared  floating  on  the  sur- 
face numerous  flakes  of  a  black  foam  composed  of  ferric 
sulphide,  which  in  contact  with  flame  burned  with  a 
slight  explosion.  On  the  20th,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  a  great  disturbance  was  noticed  in  the  midst  of 
the  lake,  and  the  next  morning  a  pile  of  rocks  was  seen, 
from  whose  midst  arose  a  column  of  vapor.  For  more 
than  a  month  this  vapor  column  was  visible,  and  the 
pile  of  rocks  near  the  centre  of  the  lake  increased,  while 
the  water  was  heated  and  the  sulphurous  vapors  extended 
over  all  the  neighborhood.     Beyond  this  no  permanent 


406  GUATEMALA. 

volcano  was  formed  above  the  level  of  the  lake  (1,600 
feet  above  the  sea). 

It  is  dangerous  to  form  conclusions  as  to  the  general 
course  of  volcanic  action  anywhere,  for  science  is  very 
much  in  the  dark  as  to  the  causes  of  eruptions  and  earth- 
quakes, as  to  the  condition  of  the  interior  of  our  globe, 
whether  fluid  or  solid,  and  also  as  to  whether  the  lavas 
poured  out  during  an  eruption  have  been  fluid  since  the 
earth  was  formed,  or  have  been  suddenly  melted  either  as 
cause  or  effect  of  what  we  call  an  eruption.  In  the  Central 
American  volcanic  region,  as  was  stated  at  the  beginning 
of  this  chapter,  little  has  been  done  in  the  way  of  scien- 
tific exploration,  and  the  facts  recorded,  beyond  popular 
accounts  of  some  especial  disturbance,  are  so  meagre  that 
no  large  space  would  be  required  to  present  them  to  the 
reader.  This  is  not,  however,  the  place  to  enter  into  a 
scientific  discussion,  and  I  must  content  myself  with  a  few 
bare  statements. 

In  the  first  place,  the  volcanoes  of  the  country  discharge 
both  ashes  and  lava,  the  latter  being  most  frequently  tra- 
chytic.  Basaltic  lavas  occur,  though  less  frequently  than 
in  Mexico  and  farther  northward  ;  and  the  columnar  struc- 
ture seen  so  well  at  Regla  in  Mexico  is  very  rare  in  Guate- 
mala. On  the  other  hand,  pumice  and  obsidian,  which  are 
classed  with  the  acid  or  trachytic  lavas,  are  abundant,  the 
latter  furnishing  material  for  knives,  while  the  former 
has  many  applications  in  the  arts  of  the  present  day.  I 
have  seen  both  basalt  and  basaltic  rapilli  in  eastern  Guate- 
mala near  the  boundary  of  San  Salvador,  and  basaltic 
sand  is  common  on  the  southern  coast. 

Another  feature  of  the  Central  American  volcanoes  is 
their  remarkable  regularity  of  form.     This  is  due  to  the 


EARTHQUAKES  AND  VOLCANOES.  407 

fact  that  the  emissions  consist  of  ash  and  lava  of  slight 
fluidity.  In  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  where  the  basaltic  lava 
is  more  fluid  than  in  any  other  volcanic  region,  the  lava- 
streams  often  flow  for  months,  and  extend  fifty  or  sixty 
miles  from  the  crater,  building  by  successive  eruptions  a 
cone  of  great  diameter  in  proportion  to  their  height ; 
Mauna  Loa  having  a  diameter  of  ninety  miles  at  the  sea- 
level,  with  a  height  of  less  than  fourteen  thousand  feet 
and  a  slope  of  about  seven  degrees.  The  eruptions  of  the 
American  volcanoes  are  mainly  of  masses  of  rock  which 
are  piled  regularly  about  the  base,  in  this  way  increasing 
the  height,  and  great  quantities  of  sand  which  fills  the  in- 
terstices, and  finally  of  lava  in  a  thick,  viscid  state  which 
clings  to  the  slopes  of  the  growing  cone  and  cements  to- 
gether the  sand  and  larger  fragments.  No  lava-stream,  at 
least  of  modern  times,  has  been  found  at  any  considerable 
distance  from  its  source. 

From  the  specimens  I  collected  in  some  of  the  ravines 
which  traverse  the  older  deposits,  I  saw  that  in  former 
ages  the  outflow  was  not  only  different  from  that  of 
modern  times,  but  of  great  variety  of  form  in  contem- 
poraneous streams,  although  the  chemical  composition  did 
not  vary  essentially. 

Earthquakes  are  mainly  due  to  the  injection  of  intensely 
heated  lava  into  strata  of  cold  rock  in  the  process  of  form- 
ing dikes.  When  a  volcano  pours  its  lava  out  of  its  sum- 
mit-crater, the  eruption  may  be  wholly  free  from  earth 
tremors,  as  is  often  the  case  on  the  Hawaiian  Islands ; 
and  this  gives  rise  to  the  popular  belief  that  active  volca- 
noes are  in  some  way  a  safety-valve  for  the  subterranean 
forces.  When,  however,  the  shrinkage  of  the  earth's  crust 
or  the  explosive  force  of  pent-up  vapors  cracks  the  solid 


408  GUATEMALA. 

rock,  thus  giving  passage  to  the  molten  mass  which  must 
be  supposed  to  underlie  this  volcanic  region,  the  sudden 
contact  of  two  bodies  of  very  different  temperatures  (per- 
haps two  thousand  degrees)  must  cause  vibrations  entirely 
sufficient  to  account  for  the  worst  earthquake  recorded. 
That  the  supply  of  molten  rock  is  ample  beneath  the  crust 
of  this  region,  we  have  proof  in  the  constant  activity  of 
Izalco,  which  for  more  than  a  century  has  poured  out  lava 
with  the  other  ejections. 

This  theory  of  earthquake  action  is  so  simple  that  it 
must  commend  itself  to  any  one  who  has  observed  the 
powerful  vibrations  excited  by  placing  a  cold  kettle  upon 
a  hot  stove,  or  by  admitting  with  force  a  stream  of  hot 
water  into  a  bath-tub  partly  filled  with  cold  water.  It 
may  be  stated  also  that  lava  is  a  remarkably  poor  con- 
ductor of  heat  (I  have  been  able  to  walk  over  a  crust  that 
bent  beneath  my  weight,  and  again  where  I  left  footprints 
in  the  half-hardened  lava),  and  solid  lava  might  retain 
a  temperature  of  less  than  two  hundred  within  a  few 
feet  of  a  molten  mass  ranging  among  the  thousands  of 
degrees.  The  secular  refrigeration  of  the  subterranean 
molten  masses  due  to  the  slight  conductivity  of  solid  lava 
is  well  illustrated  in  the  temperature  of  hot-springs,  that 
remains  unchanged  for  centuries. 

Eruptions  are  usually  of  an  explosive  nature  in  the 
Central  American  region  (as  described  in  the  outbreak  of 
Coseguina),  and  the  ejected  ash  is  scattered  often  to  a 
great  distance  to  form  by  its  decomposition  layers  of  soil 
especially  fitted  for  the  cultivation  of  coffee,  sugar,  and  the 
vine.  Sulphur  is  not  so  abundantly  deposited  as  at  ^Etna, 
Hekla,  or  even  the  Mexican  volcanoes. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


WHAT  an  attic-room  is  to  the  thrifty  housewife,  an  appen- 
dix is  to  the  maker  of  a  book.  Some  things  that  do 
not  seem  to  be  in  place  in  the  parlor  or  chamber  are  yet 
useful,  and  altogether  too  good  to  be  thrown  away,  so  they 
are  put  into  the  garret  to  await  the  expected  use.  In  a  book 
there  are  matters  that  the  writer  thinks  ought  to  interest 
some  reader,  things  that  will  be  missed  if  they  are  not  under 
the  same  roof,  —  I  mean  between  the  covers  of  the  volume  in 
hand,  —  and  yet  the  skill  is  wanting  to  incorporate  these  odd 
pieces  (of  furniture,  if  you  wish)  in  the  orderly  chapters  of  the 
book.  And  so  I  give  you  here  several  long  notes  and  some 
longer  lists. 


A   LIST   OF    COMMON   CABINET   WOODS,    DYE-WOODS, 
AND   TIMBER. 


Almond  (Amygdalus  communis). 

Fustic  {Madura  tinctoria). 

Funera. 

Mahogany  {Svrietenia  mahogani), 
—  of  various  kinds,  as  red,  cir- 
cular, buttress. 

Mangrove  (Rhizophora  Mangle)  ; 
the  wood  is  dark  red,  and  very 
durable. 

Mangrove  (i?.  CandeT)  ;  the  wood 
is  very  heavy  and  takes  a  fine 
polish. 

Granadillo,  —  a  very  solid  dark- 
red  wood,  much  used  for  tables. 


Ronron. 

Guachapeli,  —  a  dark,  very  hard 
and  strong  wood,  used  in  boat- 
building. 

Madre  cacao  (jEJrythrina), —  soft. 

Alligator  wood  (Guarea  iSwarl- 
zii). 

Trompillo. 

Tepemis,  —  yellow. 

Una  de  gato  (Pithecolobium  un- 
guis-cati) . 

Blood- wood  (Laplacea  hama- 
toxylon). 

Palo  de  Cortez. 


412 


APPENDIX. 


Palo  de  mulatto  (Spondias  luted), 

—  a  most  beautiful  and  durable 

wood,  very  heavy. 
Cola  de  pava. 
Sangre  de  perro. 
Cedar  (Cedrela  odorata). 
Coco- wood  (In (/a  vera). 
Tatascame. 
Saradillo. 
Chaquiro. 
Seehillo. 
Sare. 
Volador. 

Brasiletto  (Cmsalpinia  crista). 
Tatamite. 
Goyava    (Psidium)  ;    wood   hard 

and    compact,    though    not   of 

great  size. 
Arnotto   (Bixa  orelland)  variety, 

with  white  wood. 
Zorra. 
Marfflo. 
Medlar. 

Bambu  (Bambusa). 
Huiliguiste,  —  light-colored  wood. 
Conacaste. 

Balsam-tree  (Clusia  rosea). 
Calabash-tree,    Guaje  (Crescentia 

cujete). 
Tempisque. 
Pie  de  paloma. 
Nance,  —  dye-wood. 
Orange  ( Citrus),  — white  and  close 

grained. 
Chichipate. 
Cuaquiniquil. 
Varillo. 
Sunzapote. 
Copinol. 
Sicamite. 
Chaperno. 


Cedar  (Bursera). 

Taraiagua. 

Locust,  Anime  (BTymencea  courba- 
ril)  ;  from  this  tree  gum-copal 
is  obtained. 

Locust  (Byrsonima  cinerea). 

Cambron. 

Gum-thorn  (Acacia  Arabicd). 

Irayol, — yellow  and  ochre-colored. 

Cotorron. 

Quiebra-hacha  (Sloanea  Jamai- 
censis),  —  black  wood. 

Copalchi,  —  quinine-tree;  the  bark 
is  used,  and  the  wood  is  also  in 
demand. 

Mammee  (Lucuma  mammosa)  ; 
the  wood  is  very  hard  and 
heavy,  but  splits  easily. 

Chipilte. 

Meloncillo,  —  dark. 

Quita  calzon. 

Palo  grande. 

Pigeon-wood  (Coccoloba  diversi- 
folia). 

Rose-apple  (Jambosa  vulgaris). 

Sebesten  (Cordia  sebestena). 

Gordon. 

Canelillo. 

Chicate. 

Rosewood  (Dalbergia). 

Guilsinse. 

Guaquilite. 

Sandbox-tree  (  Hura  crepitans). 

Screw-pine  (Pandanus) ;  the  heart- 
wood  is  very  hard  and  orna- 
mental. 

Salm  (Jacaranda)  ;  light-colored, 
much  used  for  door-frames. 

Ironwood  (Laplacea  hcematoxy- 
lon). 

Pine,  ocote  (Pinus  cubensis). 


APPENDIX. 


41; 


Pine,  long-leaved  {P.  macrophyl- 
lum). 

Poknoboy  {Pacta's  balanoidea). 

Sandpaper-tree  (Guratella  Ameri- 
cana), —  the  rough  leaves  used 
for  sandpaper. 

Hog-gum  {Symphonia  globuli- 
fera). 

Walnut  {Picrodendron  jitglans). 

Tamarind  (  Tamarindus  Indica). 

Melon. 

Espina  blanca  {Acacia  AraMca). 

Copal  {Hedwigia  balsamifera) . 

Copalche,  small  {Strychnos  pseudo- 
qnina) . 

Pimiento  {Pimenta  vidgaris). 

Zebra-wood  {Eugenia  fragrans). 

Miguonette-tree  {Lawsonia  iner- 
mis). 

Totascamite,  —  yellow. 

Guazuma  (  G.  tomentosa) . 

Pepeto. 

Dulcete. 

Oak  {Ilex  sideroxyloides). 

Tamacillo. 

Zapotillo. 

Caumillo. 


Spanish  plum  {Sjiondias  pur- 
purea'). 

Santa  Maria  {(Jalophyllum  ca- 
laba). 

Filo. 

Macaligua. 

Loro. 

Madrefera. 

Sincho. 

Pomegranate  {Punica  granatum). 

Sapodilla  {Achras  sapota). 

Ziricote,  —  beautifully  marked  ; 
heavy. 

Pine,  mountain  {P.  Ayacahuite). 

Pine  (P.filifolia). 

Maho  {SjJondias  ?) . 

Sapoton  {Pachira  macrocarpa) . 

Tamarind,  wild  {PitJiecolobium 
jilicifolium) . 

White-wood  {Oreodaphne  leucox- 
ylon) . 

Willow,  yellow  {Salix). 

Ebony,  mosaic  (Prya  ebenus). 

Balsam  {Myrospermum  salvato- 
riensis). 

Pimientillo. 

Qualm  (  Cecropia  peltata) . 


LEAF-CUTTING  ANTS. 

The  (Ecodoma,  Zompopos,  or  leaf-cutting  ants,  are  such  a  pest 
to  the  fruit-growers  of  Central  America  that  I  have  quoted  from 
Mr.  Belt  the  most  satisfactory  account  of  their  habits  that  has 
ever  been  published.     He  says  :  — 

"  The  first  acquaintance  a  stranger  generally  makes  with  them  is 
on  encountering  their  paths  on  the  outskirts  of  the  forest  crowded 
with  the  ants,  —  one  lot  carrying  off  the  pieces  of  leaves,  each  piece 
about  the  size  of  a  sixpence  and  held  up  vertically  between  the  jaws 
of  the  ant,  another  lot  hurrying  along  in  an  opposite  direction  empt}- 
handed,  but  eager  to  get  loaded  with  their  leafy  burdens.     If  he  fol- 


414  APPENDIX. 

lows  this  last  division,  it  will  lead  him  to  some  young  trees  or  shrubs, 
up  which  the  ants  mount,  and  where  each  one,  stationing  itself  on  the 
edge  of  a  leaf,  commences  to  make  a  circular  cut  with  its  scissor-like 
jaws  from  the  edge,  its  hinder  feet  being  the  centre  on  which  it  turns. 
When  the  piece  is  nearly  cut  off,  it  is  still  stationed  upon  it,  and  it 
looks  as  though  it  would  fall  to  the  ground  with  it ;  but  on  being 
finally  detached,  the  ant  is  generally  found  to  have  hold  of  the  leaf 
with  oue  foot,  and  soon  righting  itself,  and  arranging  its  burden  to 
its  satisfaction,  it  sets  off  at  once  on  its  return.  Following  it  again, 
it  is  seen  to  join  a  throng  of  others,  each  laden  like  itself,  and  without 
a  moment's  delay  it  hurries  along  the  well-worn  path.  As  it  proceeds, 
other  paths,  each  thronged  with  busy  workers,  come  in  from  the  sides, 
until  the  main  road  often  gets  to  be  seven  or  eight  inches  broad,  and 
more  thronged  than  the  streets  of  the  city  of  London. 

"  After  travelling  for  some  hundreds  of  3'ards,  often  for  more  than 
half  a  mile,  the  formicarium  is  reached.  It  consists  of  low  wide 
mounds  of  brown  clayey-looking  earth,  above  and  immediately  around 
which  the  bushes  have  been  killed  by  their  buds  and  leaves  having 
been  persistently  bitten  off  as  the}-  attempted  to  grow  after  their  first 
defoliation.  Under  high  trees  in  the  thick  forest  the  ants  do  not  make 
their  nests,  because,  I  believe,  the  ventilation  of  their  underground 
galleries,  about  which  they  are  very  particular,  would  be  interfered 
with,  and  perhaps  to  avoid  the  drip  from  the  trees.  It  is  on  the  out- 
skirts of  the  forest,  or  around  clearings  or  near  wide  roads  that  let  in 
the  sun,  that  these  formicariums  are  generally  found.  Numerous  round 
tunnels,  varying  from  half  an  inch  to  seven  or  eight  inches  in  diam- 
eter, lead  down  through  the  mounds  of  earth  ;  and  man}'  more  from 
some  distance  around  also  lead  underneath  them.  At  some  of  the 
holes  on  the  mounds  ants  will  be  seen  busily  at  work  bringing  up 
little  pellets  of  earth  from  below  and  casting  them  down  on  the 
ever-increasing  mounds,  so  that  its  surface  is  nearly  fresh  and  new- 
looking.  .   .  . 

' '  The  ceaseless  toiling  hosts  impress  one  with  their  power,  and  one 
asks,  What  forests  can  stand  before  such  invaders  ?  How  is  it  that 
vegetation  is  not  eaten  off  the  face  of  the  earth?  Surel}-  nowhere  but 
in  the  tropics,  where  the  recuperative  powers  of  Nature  are  immense 
and  ever  active,  could  such  devastation  be  withstood.  .  .  .  None 
of  the  indigenous  trees  appear  so  suitable  for  them  as  the  introduced 
ones.   .  .   . 

"  In  June,  1859,  very  soon  after  the  formation  of  my  garden,  the 
leaf-cutting  ants  came  down  upon  it,  and  at  once  commenced  denud- 


APPENDIX.  415 

ing  the  young  bananas,  orange,  and  mango  trees  of  their  leaves.  I 
followed  up  the  paths  of  the  invading  hosts  to  their  nest,  which  was 
about  one  hundred  yards  distant,  close  to  the  edge  of  the  forest. 
The  nest  was  not  a  very  large  one,  the  low  mound  of  earth  covering 
it  being  about  four  yards  in  diameter.  At  first  I  tried  to  stop  the 
holes  up ;  but  fresh  ones  were  immediately  opened  out.  I  then  dug 
down  below  the  mound  and  laid  bare  the  chambers  beneath,  filled 
with  ant-food  and  young  ants  in  every  stage  of  growth.  But  I  soon 
found  that  the  underground  ramifications  extended  so  far  and  to  so 
great  a  depth,  whilst  the  ants  were  continually  at  work  making  fresh 
excavations,  that  it  would  be  an  immense  task  to  eradicate  them  by 
such  means  ;  and  notwithstanding  all  the  digging  I  had  clone  the  first 
day,  I  found  them  as  busily  at  work  as  ever  at  nry  garden,  which  they 
were  rapidly  defoliating.  At  this  stage  our  medical  officer,  Dr.  J.  H. 
Simpson,  came  to  my  assistance,  and  suggested  the  pouring  car- 
bolic acid,  mixed  with  water,  down  their  burrows.  The  suggestion 
proved  a  most  valuable  one.  We  had  a  quantity  of  common  brown 
carbolic  acid,  about  a  pint  of  which  I  mixed  with  four  buckets  of 
water,  and,  after  stirring  it  well  about,  poured  it  down  their  burrows. 
I  could  hear  it  rumbling  down  to  the  lowest  depths  of  the  formicarium, 
four  or  five  feet  from  the  surface.  The  effect  was  all  that  I  could 
have  wished ;  the  marauding  parties  were  at  once  drawn  oft'  from  my 
garden  to  meet  the  new  danger  at  home.  The  whole  formicarium  was 
disorganized.  Big  fellows  came  stalking  up  from  the  cavernous  regions 
below,  only  to  descend  again  in  the  utmost  perplexity. 

"  Next  da}'  I  found  them  busily  employed  bringing  up  the  ant- food 
from  the  old  burrows  and  carrying  it  to  a  new  one  a  few  yards  dis- 
tant ;  and  here  I  first  noticed  a  wonderful  instance  of  their  reasoning 
powers.  Between  the  old  burrows  and  the  new  one  was  a  steep  slope. 
Instead  of  descending  this  with  their  burdens,  the}'  cast  them  down 
on  the  top  of  the  slope,  whence  they  rolled  down  to  the  bottom,  where 
another  relay  of  laborers  picked  them  up  and  carried  them  to  the  new 
burrow.  It  was  amusing  to  watch  the  ants  hurrying  out  with  bundles 
of  food,  dropping  them  over  the  slope  and  rushing  back  immediately 
for  more.  The}-  also  brought  out  great  numbers  of  dead  ants  that  the 
fumes  of  the  carbolic  acid  had  killed.  A  few  days  afterwards,  when 
I  visited  the  locality  again,  I  found  both  the  old  burrows  and  the  new 
one  entirely  deserted,  and  I  thought  they  had  died  off;  but  subsequent 
events  convinced  me  that  the  survivors  had  only  moved  away  to  a 
greater  distance.  It  was  fully  twelve  months  before  my  garden  was 
again  invaded.     I  had  then  a  number  of  rose-trees,  and  also  cabbages 


416  APPENDIX. 

urowing,  which  the  ants  seemed  to  prefer  to  everything  else.  The 
rose-trees  were  soon  defoliated,  and  great  havoc  was  made  amongst 
the  cabbages.  I  followed  them  to  their  nest,  and  found  it  about  two 
hundred  yards  from  the  one  of  the  year  before.  I  poured  down  the 
burrows,  as  before,  several  buckets  of  water  with  carbolic  acid.  The 
water  is  required  to  cany  the  acid  down  to  the  lowest  chambers. 
The  ants,  as  before,  were  at  once  withdrawn  from  my  garden  ;  and 
two  days  afterwards,  on  visiting  the  place,  I  found  all  the  survivors 
at  work  on  one  track  that  led  directly  to  the  old  nest  of  the  year  be- 
fore, where  the}-  were  busily  employed  making  fresh  excavations. 
Many  were  bringing  along  pieces  of  the  ant-food  from  the  old  to  the 
new  nests;  others  carried  the  undeveloped  white  pupae  and  larvae. 
It  was  a  wholesale  and  entire  migration  ;  and  the  next  day  the  formi- 
carium  down  which  I  had  last  poured  the  carbolic  acid  was  entirely 
deserted. 

"Don  Francisco  Velasquez  informed  me  in  1870  that  he  had  a 
powder  which  made  the  ants  mad,  so  that  they  bit  and  destroyed  each 
other.  He  gave  me  a  little  of  it,  and  it  proved  to  be  corrosive  subli- 
mate. I  made  several  trials  of  it,  and  found  it  most  efficacious  in 
turning  a  large  column  of  the  ants.  A  little  of  it  sprinkled  across 
one  of  their  paths  in  dry  weather  has  a  most  surprising  effect.  As 
soon  as  one  of  the  ants  touches  the  white  powder  it  commences  to 
run  about  wildly,  and  to  attack  any  other  ant  it  comes  across.  In  a 
couple  of  hours  round  balls  of  the  ants  will  be  found  all  biting  each 
other ;  and  numerous  individuals  will  be  seen  bitten  completely  in 
two,  whilst  others  have  lost  some  of  their  legs  or  antennae.  News  of 
the  commotion  is  carried  to  the  formicarium,  and  huge  fellows,  meas- 
uring three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  length,  that  only  come  out  of  the 
nest  during  a  migration  or  an  attack  on  the  nest  or  one  of  the  work- 
ing columns,  are  seen  stalking  down  with  a  determined  air,  as  if  they 
would  soon  right  matters.  As  soon,  however,  as  they  have  touched 
the  sublimate,  all  their  stateliness  leaves  them  ;  the\'  rush  about,  their 
legs  are  seized  hold  of  by  some  of  the  smaller  ants  already  affected 
by  the  poison,  and  they  themselves  begin  to  bite,  and  in  a  short  time 
become  the  centre  of  fresh  balls  of  rabid  ants."  * 

I  wish  I  could  quote  all  Mr.  Belt's  interesting  article ;  for 
his  conclusion  as  to  the  use  the  ants  make  of  the  bits  of  leaf 
they  are  so  incessantly  collecting,  is  an  ingenious  one,  and  prob- 
ably true.     It  is  certain  that  the  little  fellows  are  never  seen 

1  Thomas  Belt,  The  Naturalist  in  Nicaragua,  p.  71. 


APPENDIX.  ,  417 

taking  a  nibble  of  their  burdens,  which  would  probably  be  the 
case  if  this  material  was  intended  for  food ;  and  Mr.  Belt  thinks 
that  the  smaller  ants,  who  seldom  leave  the  nest  and  never  carry 
leaves,  have  the  task  of  cutting  the  leaves  up  into  very  small 
bits,  which  serve  as  manure  for  a  minute  fungus,  which  is  the 
real  ant-food.  It  seems  that  "  some  of  the  ants  make  mistakes, 
and  carry  in  unsuitable  leaves ;  thus  grass  is  always  rejected  by 
them.  But  I  have  seen  some  ants,  perhaps  young  ones,  carrying 
leaves  of  grass  ;  but  after  a  while  these  pieces  are  always  brought 
out  again  and  thrown  away.  I  can  imagine  a  young  ant  get- 
ting a  severe  ear-wigging  from  one  of  the  major-domos  for  its 
stupidity." 


QUICHE    PRAYER. 

Here  is  a  translation  I  have  made  from  the  Spanish  version 
given  by  Milla  of  a  Quiche  prayer ;  and  as  the  petitioner  is  a 
supposed  Christian,  it  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  theological  sta- 
tus of  the  Indio  converts,  and  no  less  of  their  descendants  of  the 
present  day.     Compare  it  with  the  heathen  prayer  (p.  249)  :  — 

"  O  Jesus  Christ  my  God,  thou  God  the  Son  with  the  Father  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  art  but  one  God  !  To-day  on  this  day,  at  this  hour, 
on  this  day  of  Tijax,  I  invoke  the  holy  spirits  who  attend  the  dawn 
and  the  last  glimmerings  of  day !  With  the  holy  spirits  I  pray  to 
thee,  O  chief  of  the  Genii  who  dwell  in  this  mountain  of  Sija-Raxquin  ! 
Come,  blessed  spirits  of  Juan  Vachiac,  of  D.  Domingo  Vachiac,  of 
Juan  Ixquiaptop  ;  blessed  spirits  of  Francisco  Ecoquij,  of  Diego  Soom, 
of  Juan  Tay,  of  Alonso  Tzep ;  holy  spirits,  I  repeat,  of  Diego  Tzi- 
quin  and  Don  Pedro  Noj ;  you,  O  priests,  to  whom  all  things  are 
open,  and  thou  Chief  of  the  Genii ;  ye  Gods  of  the  mountain,  Gods  of 
the  plain,  Don  Puruperto  Martin,  —  come,  accept  this  incense,  accept 
now  this  candle !  Come  also  mother  mine,  holy  Mary,  and  thou  my 
Lord  of  Esquipulas,  the  Lord  of  Capetagua,  .  .  .  Captain  Santiago, 
Saint  Christopher,  .  .  .  thou  Lord  and  King  Pascual,  be  present  here  ! 
And  thou  frost,  thou  God  of  the  plain,  thou  God  Quiacbasulup,  thou 
Lord  of  Retal-euleu  [here  follows  a  long  list  of  names  of  towns  and 
mountains]  !  I  make  myself  compadre  and  comadre,  I  who  pra}- ;  I 
am  the  witness  and  the  brother  of  this  man  who  makes  himself  3'our 
son,  of  this  man  who  prays.     O  blessed  spirits,   suffer  no  evil  to 

27 


418  ♦  APPENDIX. 

come  to  him,  nor  let  him  be  in  an}'  way  unhappy !  I  the  one  who 
speak.  I  the  priest,  I  who  burn  this  incense,  I  who  pray  for  him,  I 
who  take  him  under  my  protection,  I  beseech  you  that  he  may  easily 
find  his  food.  Do  thou  then,  God,  send  him  his  money  ;  do  not 
allow  him  to  get  sick  with  fever,  let  him  not  become  paralytic,  let 
him  not  be  choked  with  a  cough,  let  him  not  be  bitten  by  a  serpent, 
let  him  not  be  swollen  with  wind  nor  asthmatic,  let  him  not  become 
mad  nor  be  bitten  by  a  dog,  let  him  not  perish  by  a  thunderbolt, 
suffer  him  not  to  perish  by  rum,  nor  die  by  sword  or  stave,  neither 
let  an  eagle  snatch  him  away ;  assist  him,  O  clouds !  assist  him,  O 
lightnings  !  assist  him,  O  thunderclap  !  Aid  him,  Saint  Peter,  aid  him, 
Saint  Paul,  aid  him,  thou  Eternal  Father !  I  then  who  have  spoken 
for  him  thus  far,  I  pray  that  sickness  ma3T  come  upon  his  opponents  ; 
grant  that  when  his  enemy  goes  forth  from  his  house  he  may  encoun- 
ter sickness  ;  grant  likewise  that  wherever  he  may  please  to  go,  there 
he  ma}'  meet  with  difficulties.  Do  your  duty  against  enemies  wherever 
they  ma}'  be  ;  do  it  as  I  pray  you,  blessed  spirits  !  God  be  with  }'ou  ! 
God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  God  the  Holy  Ghost!  So  be  it! 
Amen,  Jesus !  " 


THE   NAMES    OF    GUATEM  ALTEC  AX    TOWNS. 

It  is  uncertain  whether  at  the  present  day  any  of  the  abo- 
riginal names  of  places  survive,  for  the  successive  invaders  from 
the  North  or  from  beyond  the  seas,  if  they  did  not  utterly  de- 
stroy towns,  imposed  new  names  on  the  conquered  places.  We 
speak  of  the  ruins  of  Palenque  or  of  Quirigua,  but  we  do  not 
know  the  former  names  of  these  places,  and  call  them,  for  con- 
venience, by  the  name  of  the  nearest  modern  village.  Much 
ingenuity  has  been  expended  in  the  derivation  of  Indian  names 
still  extant,  even  the  name  of  the  republic  itself  being  one  of 
the  undetermined  ones  ;  for  while  Guatemala  is  undoubtedly 
taken  from  the  name  of  the  Cakchiquel  capital,  Tecpan  Quahtc- 
malan,  it  is  not  known  whether  this  was  named  for  Prince 
Jieutemal,  or  indeed  whether  the  prince  of  that  name  ever  ex- 
isted. Quiche  is  derived  from  qui,  "  many,"  and  che,  "  trees  ; " 
or  from  epieche,  quecJielau,  meaning  "  a  forest,"  —  an  inappro- 
priate name  now.  No  less  questionable  are  the  derivations  of 
Tvcurub,  "  town  of  owls  ;  "  E$(Itz)cuinila(ji) ,  "  land  of  dogs  ; " 
Izmachi,  "  black  hair  ; "  and  many  others. 


APPENDIX.  419 

The  termination  pan  means  a  "  standard  "  or  "  chief  place  ;  " 
hence,  Mayapan  of  the  Mayas,  and  Totonicapan  of  the  Toto- 
naques.  Tepee  is  a  "  mountain,"  or  "  high  place  ;  "  hence,  Alote- 
peque,  Coatepeque,  Olintepeque,  Jilotepeque,  and  Quezaltepeque, 
—  all  of  them  in  mountainous  regions,  the  second  being  a  vol- 
cano of  considerable  height.  Tlan  means  a  "  city  "  or  "  home  ;  " 
hence,  Atitlan,  "the  home  of  the  old  woman  (Atit),"  Zapotitlan, 
etc.  The  most  common  termination  is  tenango,  a  Mexican  word 
with  much  the  same  meaning  as  tlan,  —  Hueliuetenango  being 
equivalent  to  "  the  ancient  abode  ;  "  Chimaltenango  to  "  the 
House  of  the  Shield." 

A  troublesome  matter  is  the  varying  and  uncertain  orthog- 
raphy of  most  of  the  names  now  in  use.  Goattcmala,  Gaute- 
mala,  Guatimala,  are  all  used  by  writers.  The  termination  pan 
is  often  in  official  publications  spelled  pam.  Quczaltenango  is 
properly,  though  seldom,  written  Quetzaltenango  ;  and  Cumarcah 
or  Gumarcah,  Izabal  or  Yzabal,  Jutiapa  or  Xutiapa,  are  common 
variations.  The  omission  of  the  letter  n  in  such  words  as  Mon- 
tezuma and  Montagua,  and  at  the  end  of  Escuintlan,  is  the  rule 
in  Guatemala  ;  but  foreign  writers  do  not  always  regard  it.  The 
interchange  of  b  and  v  is  common,  —  as  bejuco  or  vejuco  ;  benta 
or  venta.  So  far  as  sound  goes,  the  name  of  the  large  macaw 
may  be  Juacamalla  or  Guacamaya.  Tzolold  was  one  form  of 
Solola  ;   Taltie,  of  Tactic  ;  and  Mictlaji,  of  Mita. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  Soconusco  is  derived  from  xoconochtli, 
a  word  meaning  "  wild  figs,"  and  Honduras  from  fonduras, 
meaning  "  depths,"  although  the  application  may  not  be  clear 
at  the  present  day.  More  satisfactory  are  MicliatoyatI,  "  a  river 
abounding  in  fish;"  Paxa,  "water  which  separates,"  —  the  Rio 
Pax,  or  Paz,  having  always  been  the  boundary  between  Guate- 
mala and  San  Salvador.  Tonald,  the  "  City  of  the  Sun," 
and  Gumarca(a)7i,  "  ruined  houses,"  are  generally  admitted  to 
be  correct  derivations. 

The  Spanish  invaders  exhibited  slight  inventive  powers,  and 
some  half  a  dozen  saints  were  made  godfathers  and  godmothers 
to  all  the  Indian  towns  that  were  important  enough  to  be  re- 
christened  ;  and  Santos  Juan,  Jose",  Tomas,  and  Marcos,  and 
Santas  Maria,  Lucia,  Ana,  and  Catarina  are  the  favorites,  al- 
though Pedro,  Esteban,  Jago,  Miguel,  Antonio,  Cristoval,  Pablo, 


420  APPENDIX. 

Izabal,  and  Clara  are  by  no  means  neglected.  The  proper 
name  of  the  capital  city  of  Guatemala  is  Santiago  (St.  James)  ; 
and  if  the  ambitious  projects  dear  to  the  late  President  Barrios 
should  be  accomplished,  as  seems  not  improbable,  England  will 
have  to  be  satisfied  with  St.  George,  and  leave  "  The  Court  of 
St.  James  "  to  the  Central  American  kingdom. 

To  the  Anglo-Saxon  such  names  as  True  Cross,  Holy  Cross, 
Thanks  to  God,  City  of  Angels,  Nativity,  and  Holy  Saviour  seem 
wholly  inappropriate  as  names  of  places  ;  but  to  the  devout 
Spaniard  they  were  evidently  favorite  appellations.  Nor  are 
they  very  different  from  Praise-God  Barebones,  Faith,  Prudence, 
and  the  like,  which  we  know  were  not  uncommon  appellatives 
among  the  Puritans. 


NO    RUINS    OF   DWELLINGS. 

In  all  the  remains  of  ancient  cities  or  holy  places  hitherto 
discovered  in  Central  America,  there  are  temples  or  oratories, 
and  so-called  palaces,  but  not  a  sign  of  human  habitations ;  even 
the  palaces  are  apparently  too  small  for  comfortable  habitation, 
and  the  temples  would  not  admit  more  than  four  or  five  persons 
at  the  same  time.  Herrera  says  there  "  were  so  many  and  such 
stately  Stone  Buildings  that  it  was  amazing ;  and  the  greatest 
Wonder  is,  that,  having  no  Use  of  any  Metal,  they  were  able  to 
raise  such  Structures,  which  seem  to  have  been  Temples,  for 
their  Houses  were  always  of  Timber  and  thatched."  Always  of 
less  durable  material  than  stone,  the  houses  have  disappeared, 
and  we  must  not  infer  that  there  were  no  dwellers  about  the 
places  where  we  find  to-day  only  monuments  of  the  dead  or  re- 
ligious edifices.  At  the  present  time  there  is  many  a  village  in 
Guatemala  where  the  church  is  the  only  building  of  masonry, 
all  the  houses  being  of  the  most  perishable  materials,  as  palm 
stems  and  leaves,  bark  and  mud.  If  the  town  of  Livingston  were 
destroyed  to-day  and  not  rebuilt,  there  would  be  nothing  on  the 
site  after  two  years  to  show  that  men  had  ever  lived  there. 

It  would  certainly  be  interesting  to  learn  why  many  of  the 
temples  have  doors,  passages,  and  even  rooms  that  a  man  of 
average  stature  cannot  stand  erect  in. 


APPENDIX. 


421 


MIXTURE   OF  RACES    IN    CENTRAL   AMERICA. 

To  show  how  difficult  the  study  of  race  peculiarities  must  be 
in  a  country  where  there  is  so  much  amalgamation,  I  give  a  list 
of  the  names  of  some  of  the  crosses :  — 

Crosses.  Male.  Female. 

Mestizo  (Ladino)      .     .     .     Spaniard.  Indian  woman. 

Castiso Spaniard.  Mestiza. 

Espaiiolo Castiso.  Spanish  woman. 

Mulato Negro.  Spanish  woman. 

Morisco Spaniard.  Mulata. 

Albino Morisco.  Spanish  woman. 

Tornatras Albino.  Spanish  woman. 

Tente  en  el  aire  ....     Tornatras.  Spanish  woman. 

Lobo  (wolf) Negro.  Indian  woman. 

Caribujo Lobo.  Indian  woman. 

Barsino Coyote  (Indigene).  Mulata. 

Grifo Lobo.  Negress. 

Albarazado Coyote.  Indian  woman. 

Chaniso Indio.  Mestiza. 

Mechino Co}Tote.  Loba. 


GUATEMALTECAN   COOKERY. 

I  do  not  speak  of  the  tables  of  the  upper  classes,  where  variety 
is  found  in  Guatemala  as  well  as  elsewhere ;  but  of  the  common 
cookery  that  a  stranger  finds  in  travelling,  it  may  truly  be  said 
that  it  has  not  a  national  character,  nor  does  justice  to  the 
abundant  material  at  hand.  What  there  is  of  it  is,  however, 
good ;  a  fresh  tortilla  is  better  than  the  cakes  of  the  Northern 
backwoods,  and  the  wheaten  bread  made  by  the  panadero  of  the 
village  is  exceedingly  palatable.  Frijoles,  or  beans,  the  most 
popular  general  dish,  are  always  stewed  over  an  open  fire,  and 
are  much  better  than  the  baked  beans  of  New  England.  Eggs 
are  always  present,  either  fried,  poached,  or  baked  in  the  shell 
(huevos  tibios)  ;  when  fried,  always  seasoned  with  tomato, 
chillis,  and  vinegar.  Salchichas,  or  sausages,  fried  in  lard, 
with  plenty  of  garlic ;  gigote,  or  hashed  meat ;  higate,  a  potage 
made  of  figs,  pork,  fowl,  sugar,  ginger,  cinnamon  and  allspice, 


422  APPENDIX. 

bread,  soup,  and  innumerable  ollas,  —  are  present  as  solid  dishes, 
the  meats  generally  being  of  poor  quality.  Besides  the  vege- 
tables of  Northern  gardens,  there  are  chiotes,  palm-cabbage, 
and,  best  of  all,  plantain.  For  verduras,  or  greens,  there  are 
many  plants,  —  none,  however,  better  than  spinach  or  dande- 
lions ;  and  the  ensaladas  are  not  remarkable.  In  the  shore 
region  one  can  have  most  delicious  turtle-steak,  white  and  ten- 
der as  veal, iguanas  fricasseed,  —  perhaps  the  best  native  dish, — 
javia-steaks,  armadillo  (which  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  have  not 
eaten),  and  fish  of  many  kinds  and  flavors. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  bad  coffees  served  as  "  esencia,"  but 
have  not  said  enough  about  the  chocolate,  which  I  never  found 
carelessly  prepared.  Perhaps  the  best  is  prepared  entirely  at 
home ;  that  is,  the  beans  of  cacao  are  carefully  roasted,  as  coffee 
might  be,  and  the  shells  removed  by  rubbing  in  the  hands.  The 
metatle  then  serves  to  crush  the  oily  mass,  as  corn  is  prepared 
in  tortilla-making ;  sugar  is  added,  and  enough  cinnamon  or 
vanilla  to  flavor  the  crushed  cacao,  which  becomes  pasty  by 
grinding,  and  may  be  run  into  moulds,  or  simply  dropped  on 
some  cool  surface  to  harden.  These  chocolate-drops  are  dis- 
solved in  boiling  milk  as  wanted,  and  the  whole  churned  to  a 
froth.  Prepared  in  this  way,  chocolate  is  much  better  than  the 
cake  chocolate  of  the  manufacturers.  An  ancient  recipe  was 
much  more  complicated  than  this,  and  although  I  have  never  tried 
it  myself,  I  venture  to  give  it  to  my  readers.  It  is  this  :  "  One 
hundred  cacaos,  —  treating  them  as  has  been  described,  —  two 
pods  of  chilli,  a  handful  of  anis  and  orjevala,  two  of  mesachasil 
or  vanilla  (this  may  be  replaced  by  six  roses  of  Alexandria,  pow- 
dered), two  drams  of  cinnamon,  a  dozen  each  of  almonds  and 
filberts,  half  a  pound  of  white  sugar,  and  arnotto  to  color  it." 
This  mixture  must  of  course  be  whipped  to  a  froth. 

Perhaps  the  people  of  Guatemala  are  as  cleanly  as  others ;  but 
according  to  our  observation  the  common  practice  was  to  allow 
the  dogs  to  lick  the  dishes,  which  received  no  additional  washing. 
It  was  the  custom  also  at  the  table  d'hote  in  the  hotels  to  finish 
a  meal  by  filling  the  mouth  with  water  and  spurting  it  on  the 
tiled  floor.  Once,  when  we  stopped  at  a  way-side  house  to  get 
some  coffee,  the  sefiora  made  a  little  fire  out  of  doors,  put  the 
coffee  in  a  very  black  pot  to  boil,  and,  after  fanning  the  reluctant 


APPENDIX.  423 

fire  with  her  straw  hat,  threw  herself  on  the  ground  near  by  to 
rest  and  smoke  her  puro.  When  the  pot  was  near  to  boiling,  she 
reached  out  her  bare  leg  and  tested  the  temperature  of  the  contents 
with  her  toe,  as  a  Northern  cook  might  have  used  his  finger.  Frank 
was  scandalized ;  but,  after  all,  it  was  merely  a  matter  of  taste. 


PHOTOGRAPHS    USED    IN    ILLUSTRATION. 

In  stating  that  the  scenes  illustrated  in  this  book  are  all  from 
photographs,  it  may  be  added  that  the  clearness  of  the  atmo- 
sphere enables  a  distant  view  to  be  taken  with  great  distinctness 
(unfortunately  lost  in  the  mechanical  reproductions)  even  in 
minute  details.  The  lens  used  for  views  not  requiring  extreme 
rapidity  was  the  Dallmeyer  single  landscape, —  a  lens  unsur- 
passed for  its  purpose  ;  while  for  architectural  subjects,  or  those 
in  motion,  a  Ross  rapid  rectilinear  was  generally  used.  The 
plates  were  those  prepared  by  Allen  &  Rowell,  of  Boston,  — 
as  usual,  of  the  finest  quality.  For  apparatus,  the  camera 
was  a  5  X  8  size  of  the  American  Optical  Company's  make, 
fitted  with  a  changing  box  containing  eighteen  plates,  and  also 
with  an  attachment,  arranged  by  the  author,  for  making  two  or 
three  smaller  pictures  on  the  5x8  plate.  I  carried  no  tent, 
but  changed  my  plates  at  night  under  a  blanket,  depending  on 
touch  rather  than  sight.  For  the  stereoscopic  pictures,  I  used 
a  pair  of  Euryscope  No.  0  lenses.  The  plates  were  developed 
months  afterwards,  with  a  very  small  percentage  of  failures.  In 
later  journeys  in  Guatemala  I  have  used  plates  of  the  8  X  10 
size  ;  but  for  all  purposes  of  illustration  the  4x5  size  is  to  be 
preferred.  For  packing  the  plates  I  have  used  a  strong  barrel 
and  cork-dust  with  complete  success.  It  is  a  matter  of  deep 
regret  that  the  method  of  mechanical  reproduction  utterly  de- 
stroys all  the  beauty  of  the  original  photographs.  In  cases 
where  phototypes  are  presented  from  ink-drawings,  these  have 
generally  been  drawn  directly  from  a  transparency  which  I  have 
made  from  the  original  negative  and  projected  in  the  lantern. 
The  drawings  are  of  large  size,  and  reduced  to  one  quarter,  or 
even  less,  in  the  phototype.  This  method  insures  at  least 
accuracy  of  outline. 


424 


APPENDIX. 


MONEY   IN    GUATEMALA. 

Persons  interested  in  silver  coinage  might  have  a  good  field 
for  collection  here ;  and  one  of  the  Government  collectors,  who 
had  a  fancy  for  numismatics,  showed  me  a  curious  lot  he  had 
received  in  payment  of  taxes.  Maximilian  coins  from  Mexico 
were  the  rarest ;  but  every  country  of  Central  and  South  Amer- 
ica was  well  represented.  Among  current  coins  the  dollar  of 
Peru  and  Chili  {sols')  are  most  common ;  and  the  smaller  change 
is  mainly  in  Guatemalan  and  Hondurenan  currency.  The  dollar 
{peso,  piece  of  eight)  contains  eight  reals,  and  the  real  two 
mcdios,  or  four  cuartillos.  This  last  is  the  smallest  coin  used, 
although  the  cent  (centavo)  has  been  coined.  A  real  is  twelve 
and  a  half  cents,  a  medio  six  and  a  quarter,  and  a  cuartillo 
three  and  an  eighth ;  but  in  the  text  I  have  spoken  of  these  coins 
as  valued  in  gold,  or,  approximately,  ten,  five,  and  three  cents. 


CERTAIN   HEIGHTS   DETERMINED   BY  THE 
EXPEDITION. 


FRENCH 


Tactic 4,725 

Coban 4,356 

San  Cristobal        4,643 

San  Miguel  Uspantan    .     .     .  6,040 

Cunen 5,942 

Sacapnlas 3,826 

Santa  Cruz  del  Quicbe  .     .     .  6,621 

Quezaltenango 7,697 

Totonicapan 8,150 

Solola 7,041 

Guatemala  City 5,013 

Antigua 5,072 

Ciudad  Vieja 5,151 

Escuintla 1,450 

Amatitlan 3,901 

Palin 3,753 

Cuajinicuilapa 2,848 

Cerro  Redondo 3,542 

Los  Esclavos 2,394 

Agua  Blanca 2,658 

Suchitan 4,108 

Santa  Catarina  (Rio)       .     .     .  2,251 


Santa  Catarina  (Pueblo) 
Esquipulas      .     . 
Paso  del  Rodeo  . 
Los  Horcones 
Pieilra  de  Amolar 
Copan    .... 
Vado  Hondo 
Chiquimula 
Zacapa  .... 
Pacava  .... 


Volcan  de  Agua  (summit) 
"  "  "  (S.  Maria) 
"       "       "     (crater  bot.) 

Volcan  de  Fuego  .  .  . 
"       "       "     (La  Meseta) 

Acatenango     .     . 

Volcan  de  Atitlan 

Cerro  Qnemado  . 

Santa  Maria    .     . 

Lago  de  Atitlan 

Lago  de  Amatitlan 

Lago  de  San  Cristobal 


2,324 

2,986 

2,744 

3,637 

2,340 

1,830 

1,237 

1,244 

449 

8,366 

12,313 

6,828 

12,087 

13,127 

12,001 

13,616 

11.723 

10,201 

11,483 

5,112 

3,895 

4,643 


APPENDIX. 


425 


I  find  it  impossible  to  reconcile  some  of  these  measurements 
of  the  French  Expedition  with  my  own  or  those  of  other  ob- 
servers ;  but  usually  the  difference  is  not  greater  than  might  be 
expected  from  observations  with  the  aneroid  barometer. 


WEIGHTS   AND    MEASURES. 

Land  is  usually  bought  and  sold  by  caballerias  (33.33  acres), 
hectareas  (2.47  acres),  manzanas  (a  square  of  one  hundred 
yards),  or  varas  (2.78  feet).  The  most  common  weights  are 
the  quintal  (a  hundredweight)  and  the  arroba  (25  pounds  of 
16  ounces  each).  Among  the  Indios  other  weights  and  meas- 
ures are  used,  but  I  could  find  no  trustworthy  information  about 
them.  They  also  retain  the  old  cacao  currency  to  some  extent, 
and  I  have  been  offered  cacao-beans  for  small  change,  as  the 
cuartillo  is  not  common  away  from  the  large  cities. 

400  cacao  beans  =  contle. 
8,000      "  "       =  jiquipil  =  20  contles. 

24,000      "  "       =  carga    =    3  jiquipiles. 


A   LIST   OF   PLANTS    OBSERVED    IN   GUATEMALA. 

I  am  indebted  to  my  friend  Professor  Sereno  Watson,  of 
Harvard,  for  the  identification  of  species,  which  to  the  number  of 
sixty  he  has  already  determined  from  some  five  hundred  that  he 
collected  in  the  Departments  of  Livingston  and  Izabal.  I  did 
not  myself  make  any  collection,  but  noted  the  genera  that  were 
familiar  to  me  as  I  travelled  through  the  country.  So  little  has 
been  published  about  the  Guatemaltecan  Flora  that  I  have  ven- 
tured to  add  these  notes  to  Professor  Watson's  list. 


Clematis  americana,  Will.    Near  Izabal. 
dioica,  L.     Banajachel. 
caripensis,  HBK.     Sacapulas,  Ju- 

tiapa. 
polycephala,  Bert.  V.  cle  Agua. 
sericea,  HBK.  San  Jose. 
Davilla   rugosa,   Poir.     Banks   of  Bio 
Dulce,  Bio  Chocon. 
lucida,  Presl  ?     Chocon. 


Doliocarpus  pubens,  Mart.    Livingston. 
Curatella  americana,  L.    Dry  hills  near 

Quirigua. 
Tetracera  n.  sp.     Bio  Chocon. 
Guatteria  Jurgensenii,  Hemsl.     Shores 
of  Lago  de  Izabal,  Chocon. 
n.  sp. 
Anona  squamosa,  L.     Livingston, 
muricata,  L.     Cunen,  Uspantan. 


426 


APPENDIX. 


Anona  Cherimolia,  Mill.     Common, 
palustris,  L.     Sea-shore  near  Liv- 
ingston. 

Xylopia  frutescens,  Aubl.,  var.  glabra. 
Shores  of  Lago  de  Izabal. 

Cissampelus  Pareira,   L.     Izabal,    Rio 
Dulce. 
tropseolifolia,  DC.  ?     Izabal. 

Xymphaea    ampla,    DC.      Rio    Polo- 
chic,  mouth  of  Rio  Chocon. 

Argemone  mexicana,  L. 

Draba  vulcanica,  Benth.  V.  de  Agua. 

Cleome  polygama,  L.     San  Felipe. 

Moringa  pterygosperma,  Gaertn.     Za- 
capa,  Chiquimula. 

Bixa  Orellana,  L. 

Xylosma  nitida,  A.  G. 

Alsodeia  guatemalensis,  Watson.     Rio 
Chocon. 

Oncoba   laurina,   Oliver.     Izabal,    Rio 
Chocon. 

Casearia  Brighami,  Watson.     Chocon. 

Polygala  asperuloides,  IIBK.     Izabal. 

Jatropha  Curcas,  L. 

Janipha  Manihot,  HBK. 

Croton.     (Several  sp.  on  coast,  not  de- 
termined.) 

Euphorbia  Poinsettii.     Uplands. 

Hura  crepitans,  L.    Sacapulas,  Zacapa. 
Two    euphorbiaceous    trees    in 
eastern  highlands. 

Drymaria    cordata,   Willd.      Lago  de 
Izabal. 

Quercus  (2  sp.).     Cunen  to  Quiche. 

Portulaca     oleracea,    L.      Livingston, 
Chocon. 

Phytolacca    icosandra,    L.       Antigua, 
Santa  Cruz  del  Quiche. 

Amaranthus   paniculatus,  L.      Cunen, 
Jutiapa. 

Sida  rhombifolia,  L.     Chocon. 

Abutilon.    (Trees  at  La  Tinta.    Several 
allied  sp.  banks  of  Rio  Chocon.) 

Hibiscus  Abelmoschus,  L.     Izabal. 

Gossypium   barbadense,    L.       Living- 
ston. 


Hampea  (?)  stipitata,  Watson.     Large 
tree,  Chocon. 

Paritium   tiliaceum,   A.  Juss.      Shore 
near  Santo  Tomas. 

Pavonia  racemosa,  Swartz.     Rio  Dulce. 

Eriodendron  ceiba.    Sacapulas,  Chocon, 
Quirigua. 

Bernoullia  flammea,  Oliv.  Istapa. 

Cheirostemon  platanoides,  Hum.  &  Bon. 
V.  de  Fuego,  Encuentros. 

Helicteres  guazumadblia,  HBK.     Cerro 
del  Mico. 

Pachira     macrocarpa.       Rio     Chocon, 
Motagua. 
insignis,  Sav.     Red  petals  at  Omoa. 
sp.     Chocon. 

Theobroma  cacao,  L.     Chocon,  Quiri- 
gua, Pansos. 

Guazuma  tomentosa,  HBK.     Chocon. 

Gouania  tomentosa,  Jacq. 

Gomphia  (Ouratea)  guatemalensis,  En- 
gler.     Chocon. 

Yitis  sicyoides,  var.  ovata,  Baker.    Lago 
de  Izabal. 
lanceolata,   Watson.      Rio  Dulce, 

Rio  Chocon. 
vulpina,   L.  var.  Izabalana,  Wat- 
son.    Izabal. 

Clusia  guatemalensis,    Hemsl.     V.  de 
Fuego. 
Large  tree,  Chocon. 
Low,  wide-spreading  tree,  Izabal. 
Matapalo  tree. 

Symphonia    globulifera,     L.      "  Hog- 
gum."     Large  tree,  Chocon. 

Calophyllum  Calaba,  Jacq.   Livingston. 

Maregraavia  rectiflora,  Triana  &  Planch, 
var.  Goudoutiana.     Chocon. 

Ruyschia  Souroubea,  W.     Livingston. 

Sauraujia  oreophila,    Hemsl.      V.   de 
Fuego.   . 
pauciserrata,  Hemsl.    V.  de  Fuego. 

Sauvagesia  erecta,  L.     Cerro  del  Mico. 
tenella,  Lam.  Barbasco. 

Salix    (2   sp.).     Lago  de   Izabal,    Rio 
Polochic,  Amatitlan. 


APPENDIX. 


427 


Erythroxylum  sp.     Livingston. 
Linum  guatemalense,    Benth.     V.  de 

Agua. 
Byrsonima    crassifolia,    HBK.      Cult. 

Izabal. 
Bunchosia    Lanieri.     Watson.       Tree 

Izabal. 
Lindeniana,  Juss.     Cuilapa. 
Stigmaphyllon  Lupulus,  Watson.    Cho- 

con. 
Hiraea  reclinata,  Jacq.     Rio  Dulce. 

sp.  1     Chocon  ? 
Cardiospermum  grandiflorum,  Swartz, 

var.  hirsutum,  Radl.     Izabal. 
Halicacabum,  L.     Rio  Chocon. 
Serjania  mexieana,  Willd.    Rio  Chocon. 
Paullinia  sorbilis,  Mart.     Chocon. 
velutina,  DC.     Chocon. 
guatemalensis,  Turcz. 
Melia  Azederach,  L.     Escuintla,  Izabal, 

naturalized. 
Guarea  bijuga,  C.  DC.  ?    Chocon. 
Swietenia  Mahogani,  L.     Chocon,  Qui- 

rigua. 
Cedrela  odorata,  L.     Chocon. 
Citrus  medica,  var.  Limonum.  Natural- 
ized. 
Oxalis   dendroides,    HBK.     Cerro   del 

Mico,  1500  ft. 
Tribulus  cistoides,  L.     Shores. 
Guaiacum  officinale,  L. 

guatemalense,  Herb.  Kew,  Zacapa. 
Quassia  amara,  L.     Shores  of  Lago  de 

Izabal. 
Picrsena  excelsa,  Lindl.  ?     Chocon. 
Alvaradoa    amorphoides,    Liebm.    (?) 

Chocon. 
Hippocratea  ovata,  Lam.     Rio  Dulce. 
Wimmeria    discolor,     Schlecht.       Rio 

Dulce. 
Zizyphus  guatemalensis,  Hemsl. 
Ficus  (3  -f-  sp.).     Chocon. 
Cecropia  pabnata,  W.    Rio  Chocon. 
Dorstenia  contrayerva,  L.     Chixoy  Val- 
ley. 
Castilloa  elastica,  Cervant. 


Madura  aurantiaca,  Nutt. 
Peperomia  (2  sp.).     On  trees,  Chocon. 
Bursera  gummifera,  L.  ?     Chocon. 
Spondias  lutea,  L.     Chocon. 
purpurea,  L.     "  Jocote." 
sp.  1    "  Maho."     Chocon. 
Rourea  glabra,  HBK.     Lago  de  Izabal. 
Connarus  Pottsii,  Watson.     Shores  at 

Izabal. 
Mangifera  indica,  L.     Naturalized. 
Anacardium  occidentale,  L.     Cayo  Pa- 

loma,  Pacific  coast. 
Quercus  (2  sp.).    Uplands  above  Cunen. 
Indigofera  anil,  L. 
Tephrosia  toxicaria,  Pers. 
Sesbania  exasperata,  HBK. 
Desmodium.     2  sp.  at  Chocon,  another 

at  El  Mico. 
Mucuna  puriens,  DC.     Vado  Hondo. 
Erythrina  velutina,  W.     Livingston. 
Myroxylon  Pereirae,  Klotzs.  Escuintla. 

toluiferum,  HBK.     S.  Coast. 
Poinciana  pulcherrima,  L.  Antigua. 
Hsematoxylon  campechianum,  L.     Us- 

umacinta  Valley. 
Guilandina  bonduc,  L.     Shores. 
Csesalpinia  (2  sp.).   Chocon  and  Pacific. 
Dalbergia  calycina,  Benth.     Chocon. 
Cassia  fistula,  L. 

2     sp.     common     at    Livingston, 
another  at  Antigua. 
Tamarindus  indica,  L. 
Hymeneea  courbaril,  L.     Rio  Chocon, 

Rio  Polochic. 
Bauhinia  (2  sp.).     Chocon,  Quirigua. 
Entada  scandens,  Benth.     Chocon. 
Prosopis  julifiora,  DC.     Dry  uplands. 
Mimosa  pudica,  L. 

casta,  L.     Livingston. 

guatemalensis,  Benth. 
Acacia  Farnesiana,  W.     Jutiapa,  Cui- 
lapa. 

spadicigera,  Schlecht. 

arabica,W.  Jutiapa.    (4  + others.) 
Calliandra  saman,  Gr.     Santo  Tomas. 
Pithecolobium  sp.     Vado  Hondo. 


428 


APPENDIX. 


Inga  vera,  W.  Rio  Chocon,  Rio  Polo- 
chic. 
Schizolobium  sp.     "  Wild   tamarind." 

Rio  Dulce,  Rio  Chocon. 
Chrysobalanus  Icaco,  L.     Shores. 
Hirtella  americana,  Aublet.     Chocon. 
Rubus  sp.     Alta  Verapaz. 
Jambosa  vulgaris,  DC.     Rio  Dulce. 
Psidium   guava,    Radd.      Pansos,    San 
Felipe, 
sp.     Quirigua,  Eio  Polochic. 
Jussisea  repens,  L.     Rio  Polochic. 
Rhizophora   Mangle,    L.      Rio   Dulce, 

Santo  Toinas. 
Cacoucia  cocci  nea,  Aublet.     Rio  Cho- 
con, common. 
Terminalia  Catappa,  L.     Naturalized, 

San  Pedro  Sula. 
Persea  gratissima,  G.     Naturalized. 
Oreodaphne  sp.     Cunen. 
Sechium  edule,  Sw.     West  coast,  Cerro 

Redondo. 
Cucumis  Anguria,  L.     Punta  Gorda. 
Luffa  acutangula,  Roxb.     West  coast. 
Lagenaria  vulgaris,  Sw. 
Cyclanthera  explodens,   Naud.     V.  de 

Fuego. 
Microsechium     guatemalense,    Hemsl. 

Trujillo,  Palin. 
Fevillea,  sp. 
Carica  Papaya,  L. 

sp.    with    small,    unedible    fruit. 
Valleys  of  Volcan  de  Fuego. 
Passiflora  Brighami,  Watson.     Living- 
ston, Rio  Chocon. 
edulis,  Sims. 

guatemalensis  Watson.     Chocon. 
choconiana,  Watson, 
lunata,  Willd. 
coriacea,  Juss. 

quadrangularis,  L.     Antigua. 
3  sp.  Rio  Chocon,  1  El  Mico,  small 
plant  with  veined  leaves,  Chocon. 
Turnera  sp.     San  Pedro. 
Aristolochia,  sp.    with  immense  blos- 
soms.    Roatan. 


Cereus  (2  sp.).  Jutiapa,  Zacapa,  Chixoy. 
Opuntia  coccinellifera,  Mill.     Antigua, 

Amatitlan. 
Begonia  scandens,  Sw.     Chocon. 
2  sp.  Chocon,  1  at  Uspantan. 
Ximenia  americana,  L.     Livingston. 
Loranthaceae.     3  sp.    observed.     Cho- 
con, Zacapa. 
Sambucus  sp.     Encuentros,  Solola. 
Rondeletia    cordata,    Benth.      Guate- 
mala City, 
gracilis,  Hemsl.     Coban. 
Psychotria  sp.     Rio  Chocon. 
Bouvardia  sp.     Cunen. 

leiantha,  Benth.     Chimaltenango. 
Exostemma  sp.     Livingston. 
Ageratum  conyzoides,  L.     Common. 
Stevia  sp.     Quiche,  Cunen. 
Mikania  guaca.     Chocon. 
Wedelia  phyllocephala,  Kernel.  Chixoy 

Valley. 
Verbesina  gigantea,  Jacq.     Zacapa. 
Dahlia  sp.     Quiche,  Quezaltenango. 
Tagetes  micrantha,  Cav.     V.  de  Fuego. 

sp.  2.  San  Cristobal,  Patzun. 
Lobelia  fulgens,  Willd.     Uplands. 

calcarata,  Bertol.     V.  Santa  Maria, 
cordifolia,  H&A.     Coban. 
Lobeliaceoe  (3  sp.). 
Chrysophyllum  Cainito,  L. 
Sapota  Achras,  Mill. 
Lucuma  mammosa,  G. 

multinora,  A.  DC.  (?)  Chocon. 
Jasminum  officinale,  L.  Naturalized. 
Allamanda  cathartica,  L.     Rio  Chocon, 

Rio  Polochic. 
Vinca  rosea,  L. 

Plumeria  rubra  L.  (?)     Several  mem- 
bers   of    this    family    on    Rio 
Chocon. 
Asclepias  curassavica,  L.     Livingston, 

Uspantan,  Antigua. 
Limnanthemum  Humboldtianum,  Gr. 

Lagoons,  Rio  Chocon. 
Datura       (Brugmansia)       suaveolens, 
Humb.,  Bonpl.     Izabal. 


APPENDIX. 


429 


Physalis  peruviana,  L. 
Capsicum  frutescens,  L. 

annuum,  L. 
Crescentia  Cujete,  L.     Jutiapa  and  dry- 
uplands  generally. 
Jacaranda  sp.     Fine  tree,  Chocon. 
Bignoniaceae.     3   sp.    Chocon  forests, 

1  sp.  Antigua. 
Achimenes    coccinea,     Pers.      Chixoy 

Valley. 
Martynia  sp.     Chixoy  Valley. 
Jacobinia  aurea,  Hemsl.  Chocon,  Quiri- 

gua. 
Ipomoea  bona-nox,  L. 
Batatas,  Lam. 
Quamoclit,  L. 
Calonyction   sp.     Eight  other  convol- 

vulacese  noticed. 
Cuscuta  sp.     Zacapa. 
Cordia  Sebestina,  Jacq.     Escuintla. 
Heliotropium   curassavicum,   L.      San 

Jose. 
Salvia   coccinea,    L.     Santa   Cruz   del 

Quiche.     3  other  sp. 
Lantana  sp.      Esquipulas. 
Avicennia  nitida,  Jacq.     Golfete. 
Pinus  cubensis,  Griseb. 
macrophylla,  Parlat. 
Ayacahuite,  Erenb. 
filifolia,  Lindl. 
Abies  sp. 

Monstera  (2  sp.).     Livingston,  Chocon. 
Aroids  of  many  sp.  and  several  genera. 
Woltia  punctata,  Gr.     Rio  Chocon. 
Typha  sp. 
Euterpe  oleracea,  Mart. 

edulis. 
Oreodoxa  oleracea. 
Manicaria  Plukenetii,  Gr.  and  Wendl. 

Livingston. 
Desmoncus  sp. 
Acrocomia  vinifera,   Oersted.     Izabal, 

Chixoy  Valley. 


Acrocomia  sclerocarpa. 

Cocos  nucifera,  L. 

Attalea  cohune,  Mart. 

Bactris  balanoidea,  Wendl.     Izabal. 

cohune,  Watson.     Chocon. 

Twenty -five  sp.  palms  were  col- 
lected at    Chocon,    but    have 
not  been  determined  yet. 
Commelyna  cayennensis,  Rich.      San 

Felipe,    2  sp.     Cunen. 
Pontederia  sp.  pink  flowers.  Livingston. 
Bambusa  (2  sp.).     Motagua,  Chocon. 
Zea  Mays,  L. 
Agave  americana,  L. 

ixtli,     Karw. 
Fourcroya  gigantea,  Vent. 
Pancratium    caribaeum,    L.    (?)    Cayo 

Grande,  Rio  Polochic. 
Crinum  sp.     Rio  Dulce. 
Smilax  officinalis.     Chocon. 
Ananassa  sativa,  Lindl.    Izabal,  Chixoy 

Valley. 
Bromelia  Pinguin,  L.     Jutiapa. 

Karatas,  Lemair.     Jutiapa. 

Pita. 
Tillandsia  (2  sp.). 

Bromeliaceae  (several  sp.).     Rio  Dulce. 
Heliconia  Bihai,  L.     Pansos,  Quirigua. 

sp.    Quirigua,  Rio  Dulce. 
Renealmia  sp. 
Zinziber  sp. 
Maranta  (2  sp.). 

Vanilla  planifolia,  Andr.     Chocon. 
Epidendrum  bicornutum,  Hook. 
Schomburgkia  tubicina,  Lindl. 
Oncidium  citrinum,  Lindl.  Los  Amates. 

iridifolium.  HBK. 
Notylia  guatemalensis,  Watson. 
Ornithocephalus  Pottsise,  Watson. 
Bletia  Pottsii,  Watson. 
Salvinia  auriculata,  Aubl. 

The  number  of  Orchidacese  in 
Guatemala  is  very  large. 


430  APPENDIX. 

A   LIST   OF   WORKS    RELATING   TO   CENTRAL 
AMERICA. 

A  full  bibliography  of  works  that  contain  information  about 
the  region  through  which  we  have  been  travelling  together  would 
fill  a  volume  much  larger  than  the  present ;  but  the  following 
brief  list  of  some  of  the  more  important  titles  may  aid  those  who 
are  interested  in  the  past  history  or  the  future  prospects  of  the 
tropical  part  of  this  continent.  I  have  not  thought  it  worth 
while  to  mention  those  unprinted  works  not  at  present  acces- 
sible to  the  public,  nor  the  ephemeral  publications  of  simple 
tourists  :  — 

Acosta,  Fr.  Jose  de.  Historia  natural  y  moral  de  las  Indias.  Se- 
ville 1590. 

Adam,  Lucien.     Etudes  sur  six  Langues  Americaines,  Paris,  1878. 

Du  parler  des  Homines  et  du  parler  des  Femmes.     Paris,  1879. 

Alcedo,  Antonio  de.  Diccionario  geogranco-historico  de  las  Indias 
occidentales  6  America  ;  es  a  saber ;  de  los  reynos  del  Peru,  Nueva 
Espana,  Tierra  Firme,  Chile  y  Nuevo  Reyno  de  Granada.  Madrid, 
1786-89.  5  vols.  An  English  Translation,  with  Additions,  by 
G-.  A.  Thompson,  was  published  in  London,  1812-15.     5  vols. 

Ancona,  Eligio.     Historia  de  Yucatan.     Merida,  1878. 

Andagoya,  Pascual  de,  Narrative  of.  Translated  by  C.  R.  Mark- 
ham.     Ilakhryt  Soc.     London,  1865. 

Astaburuaga,  Francisco  S.  Repiiblicas  de  Centro-America  o  Idea 
de  su  Historia  i  de  su  Estado  actual.     Santiago,  Chili,  1837. 

Baily,  John.  Central  America ;  describing  each  of  the  States  of 
Guatemala,  Honduras,  Salvador,  Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica.  Lon- 
don, 1850. 

Baldwin,  John  D.  Ancient  America,  in  notes  on  American  Archae- 
ology.    New  York,  1872. 

Bancroft,  Hubert  H.  Native  Races  of  the  Pacific  States  of  North 
America.     San  Francisco,  1875  et  seq. 

Barcia,  Andres  Gonzales.  Historiadores  primitivos  de  las  Indias 
occidentales,  que  junto,  traduxo  en  parte  y  saco  a  luz,  ilustrados 
con  eruditas  notas  y  copiosos  indices  el  Sehor  Don  Andres  Gonzales 
Barcia,  del  Consejo  y  Camera  de  Su  Majestad.  Madrid,  aho 
1749. 


APPENDIX.  431 

Bard,  S.  A.  Waikna  :  Adventures  on  the  Mosquito  Shore.  London, 
1855.     12mo. 

Bastian,  A.  Die  Culturlander  des  Alten  Amerika.  Berlin,  1878. 
2  vols. 

Steinsculpturen  aus  Guatemala.     Berlin,  1882. 

Bateman,  James.  Orchidaceae  of  Mexico  and  Guatemala.  London, 
1843.     fol. 

Bates,  H.  W.     Central  and  South  America.     London,  1878. 

Belaez,  Garcia.  Memorias  para  la  historia  del  antiguo  reino  de 
Guatemala.     Guatemala,  1851.     2  vols. 

Belly,  Felix.  A  travers  l'Auierique  Centrale  ;  le  Nicaragua  et  le 
Canal  Interoceanique.     Paris,  1867. 

Belt,  Thomas.  The  Naturalist  in  Nicaragua  :  a  Narrative  of  a  resi- 
dence at  the  Gold  Mines  of  Chontales  ;  Journeys  in  the  Savannahs 
and  Forests.     London,  1874. 

Beltran  de  Santa  Rosa,  Fr.  Pedro.  Arte  del  Idioma  Ma}*a  redu- 
cido  a  succintas  reglas,  y  semilexicon  Yucateco.  Mexico,  1746  ; 
also  Merida,  1859. 

Benzoni,  Girolamo.  History  of  the  new  World.  Travels  1541- 
1556.  Venice,  1572.  (First  ed.  1565.)  English  Translation, 
Hakluyt  Society,  London,  1857. 

Berendt,  Dr.  C.  H.  Analytical  Alphabet  for  the  Mexican  and  Cen- 
tral American  Languages.  New  York,  1869.  American  Ethnolo- 
gical Society. 

Remarks   on   the   Centres   of   Ancient   Civilization   in   Central 

America,  and  their  Geographical  Distribution.  New  York,  1876. 
Bulletin  of  the  American  Geographical  Society. 

Biologia-Centrali-Americana  ;  or,  Contributions  to  the  Knowledge 
of  the  Fauna  and  Flora  of  Mexico  and  Central  America. 
London, 1879. 

Bodham-Wetham,  J.  W.     Across  Central  America.     London,  1877. 

Bonnycastle,  R.  H.  Spanish  America ;  or,  a  Descriptive,  Histori- 
cal, and  Geographical  Account  of  the  Dominions  of  Spain  in  the 
Western  Hemisphere,  Continental  and  Insular.  London,  1818. 
2  vols. 

Boturini,  Benaducci.  Idea  de  una  Nueva  Historia  General  de  la 
America  Septentrional.     Madrid,  1746. 

Boyle,  Frederick.  Wanderings  in  Nicaragua  and  Costa  Rica. 
London, 1868. 

Bradford,  Alexander  W.  American  Antiquities  and  the  Red  Race. 
New  York,  1841. 


432  APPENDIX. 

Brasseur  de  Bourbourg.  Histoire  des  Nations  civilisees  du  Mexique 
et  de  l'Amerique  Centrale  durant  les  siecles  anterieurs  a  Christophe 
Colomb,  ecrite  sur  les  documents  originaux  et  entierenient  inedits, 
puises  aux  anciennes  archives  des  Indigenes.    Paris,  1859.    4  vols. 

Popul  Vuh.     Le  Livre  sacre  et  les  Mythes  de  l'Antiquite  Ameri- 

caine,  avec  les  Livres  hero'iques  et  historiques  des  Quiches.  Ouvrage 
original  des  Indigenes  de  Guatemala,  texte  Quiche  et  traduction 
francaise  en  regard.     Paris,  1861. 

Bibliotheque  Mexico-Guatemalienne,  precede  d'un  coup  d'oeil  sur 

les  etudes  Ainericaines.     Paris,  1871. 

Grammaire  de  la  langue  Quiehee ;  espagnole-francaise  mise  en 

parallel  avec  ses  deux  dialectes  Cachiquel  et  TzutuhiL  etc.  Paris, 
1862. 

Recherches  sur  les  ruines  de  Palenque  et  sur  les  origines  de  la 

civilisation  du  Mexique.     Paris,  1866. 

Voyage  sur  l'Isthme  de  Tehuantepec  dans  l'etat  de  Chiapas  et 


la  republique  de  Guatemala  (1859-1860).    Paris,  1861. 
Breton,  Raymond.     Dictionnaire  caraibe-francais.     Auxerre,  1665. 
Brinton,  Dr.  Daniel  G.     American  Hero  Myths. 
The  Names  of  the  Gods  in  the  Kiche  Myths  of  Central  America. 

Philadelphia,  1881.     Proceedings  of  the  American   Philosophical 

Society,  vol.  xix. 
The  Maya  Chronicles.     Philadelphia,  1882. 


Bulow,  A.  von.  Der  Freistaat  Nicaragua  in  Mittel-Amerika,  und 
seine  Wichtigkeit  fur  den  Welthandel,  etc.     Berlin,  1849. 

Der  Freistaat  Costa  Rica  in  Mittel-Amerika,  etc.     Berlin,  1850. 

Byam,  George.  Wild  Life  in  the  Interior  of  Central  America.  Lon- 
don, 1849. 

Cabrera,  P.  F.  Description  of  an  Ancient  City  discovered  near 
Palenque  in  Guatemala.  Translated  from  the  Report  of  Antonio 
del  Rio.     Followed  by  a  History  of  the  Americans.     1822. 

Carillo,  Canon  Crescentio.  Manual  de  Historia  y  Geografia  de  la 
Peninsula  de  Yucatan.     Merida. 

Casas,  Bartolomeo  de  las.  Narratio  regionum  indicarum  per  His- 
panos  quosdam  devastatarum.     Francofort,  1598.    De  Bit. 

An  |  Account  |  Of  the  First  |  Voyages  and  discoveries  |  Made 

by  the  Spaniards  in  America  |  Containing  j  The  most  Exact  Rela- 
tion hitherto  pub  |  lished  of  their  unparallel'd  Cruelties  j  on  the 
Indians,  in  the  destruction  of  a  |  bove  Fort}-  Millions  of  People.  | 
"With  the  Propositions  offer' d  to  the  King  of  Spain,  |  to  prevent  the 
further  Ruin  of  the  West  Indies.  |  By  Don  Bartholomew  de  las 


APPENDIX.  433 

Casas,  Bishop  of  Chiapa,  |  who  was  an  Eye  [  -  witness  of  their  Cruel- 
ties.    London,  1699. 
Casas,    Bartolomeo   de   las.     Historia   apologetica   de   las   Indias 

5  vols,  folio  in  manuscript,  at  Madrid.     (A  copy  is  in  the   Force. 

Library  at  Washington.) 
Historia  de  las  Indias,  ahora  por  primera  vez  dada  a  luz  por  el 

Marques  de  la  Fuensanta  del  Valle  y  D.  J.  S.  Rayon.     Madrid, 

1875-76.     5  vols. 
Catiierwood,  Frederick.     Views  of  Ancient  Monuments  in  Central 

America,  Chiapas,  and  Yucatan.     London,  1844.     Folio.    See  also 

Stephens. 
Charency,  Henri  de.     Le  Mithe  de  Votan.     Paris,  1871. 
Charnay,   Desire.     Cites  et  Ruines  Americaines,  Mitla,  Palenque, 

Izamal,  Chichen-Itza,  Uxmal,  recueillies  et  photographiees.    Texte 

par  Viollet  le  Due.     Paris,  1863.     49  folio  plates. 
Les  Anciennes  Villes  du  Nouveau  Monde.     Vovages  d'Explora- 

tions  au  Mexique  et  dans  l'Amerique  centrale,  1857-1882.     Paris, 

1885. 
Clavigero,  Francisco  Yavier.     Storia  antica  del  Messico,  Cesena, 

1780.     4  vols. 
History  of  Mexico  from  Spanish  and  Mexican  Historians,  MSS., 

Paintings,  etc.     Translated,  with  Dissertations,  by  Cullen.  London, 

1807.     2  vols. 
Historia  Antigua  de  Megico  traducicla  por  Don   J.  G.  Mara. 

London,  1826.     2  vols.     Maps  and  curious  plates. 
Cockburn,  John.     A  Journey  over  Land  from  the  Gulf  of  Honduras  to 

the  Great  South  Sea.    Performed  by  J.  C.  and  Five  Other  English- 
men.    London,  1735. 
Cogolludo,  Diego  Lopez.     Los  tres  Siglos  de  la  dominacion  Espa- 

nola  en  Yucatan,  d  sea  Historia  de  esta  provincia  desde  la  conquista 

hasta  la  independencia.     2  vols.     8vo.     hf.  bd.     Campeche,  1842  ; 

Merida,   1845. 
Cortez,  Hernan,  Cartas  y  relaciones  de,  al  Emperaclor  Carlos  V.  Co- 

legidas  e  ilustradas  por  Don  Pascual  de  Gayangos.     Paris,  1866. 
Davis,  W.  W.  H.     The  Spanish  Conquest  of  New  Mexico.     Doyles- 

ton,  Pa.,  1869. 
De  la  Borde.     Relation  de  l'origine  des  Caraibes.     Paris,  1674. 
Diaz  del  Castillo,  Bernal.     Historia  Verdadera  de  la   Conquista 

de  la  Nueva  Espana.     Madrid,  1632.     Another  edition,  1795-6, 

Madrid,  in  4  vols.    English  editions  :  True  History  of  the  Conquest 

of  Mexico.    Translated  by  Keatinge.   London,  1800.   Memoirs  con- 

28 


434  APPENDIX. 

taining  an  account  of  the  Conquest  of  Mexico.     Translated  by 
J.  G.  Lockhart.     London,  1844.     2  vols. 

Donde,  Juan,  y  Joaquin.  Apuntes  sobre  las  plantas  de  Yucatan. 
Merida,  1874. 

Dunlop,  R.  G.     Travels  in  Central  America.     London,  1847. 

Dunn,  Henry.  Guatimala,  or  the  Republic  of  Central  America  in 
1827-8  ;  being  Sketches  and  Memorandums  made  during  a  Twelve- 
month's Residence.     London,  1829.     8vo.     pp.  328. 

Dupaix,  Capt.  Antiquites  Mexicaines  ;  contenant  les  diverses  expe- 
ditions du  capitaine  Dupaix  entreprises  an  Mexique,  aux  ruines  de 
Palenque.     Paris,  1834.     See  Kingsborough. 

Duran,  Fr.  Diego.  Historia  de  las  Indias  de  la  Nueva  Espana  y 
Islas  de  Tierra  Firme.     Mexico,  1867. 

Fabregat.     Esposizione  del  Codice  Borgia. 

Fancourt,  C.  St.  J.  History  of  Yucatan  to  the  close  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Century.     London,  1854. 

Fernandez,  Manuel.  Bosquejo  Fisico,  Politico  e  Historico  de  la 
Republica  del  Salvador.     San  Salvador,  18G9.     pp.  16G. 

Flores,  Fr.  Ildefonso  Jose.  Arte  de  la  Lengua  Metropolitana  del 
Regno  Cakchiquel  6  Guatemalteco.     Guatemala.  1753. 

Foledo.     Geografi'a  de  Centro-America.     Guatemala,  1874. 

Frantzius,  Dr.  A.  von.  Die  Costa  Rica  Eisenbahn.  In  "Das  Aus- 
land,"  1868,  No.  6. 

Der   siidostliche   Theil   der   Republik   Costa    Rica.     1869.     In 

"  Petermann's  Mittheilungen." 

Klimatischen  Verhaltnisse  Central  Americas.     Berlin,  1869.     In 


"  Zeitschrift  der  Gesellschaft  fur  Erdkunde." 

Dr.  Frantzius  has   also  translated  from  Palacio  the  "  San    Salvador   and 
Honduras  in   1576"  (1873). 

Fuentes  Y  Guzman.  Historia  de  Guatemala  6  recopilacion  florida. 
1609.     New  edition.     Madrid,  1882. 

Gabb,  William  M.  Notes  on  the  Geolog}' of  Costa  Rica.  In  Ameri- 
can Journal  of  Science  and  Art,  November,  1874,  and  March,  1875. 

Gage,  Fr.  Thomas.  New  Survey  of  the  West  Indies.  2d  edit.  Lon- 
don, 1655,  folio;  3d  edit.  1677,  12mo;  4th  edit.  1699,  8vo. 

Gallatin,  Albert.  Notes  on  the  Semi-Civilized  Nations  of  Mexico. 
Trans,  of  the  Amer.  Ethnological  Soc,  vol.  i.     New  York. 

Garcia,  Gregorio.  Origen  de  los  Indios  del  nuevo  mundo.  Valencia, 
1607;  also  Madrid,  1729. 

Garcia  y  Garcia,  Apolinar.  Historia  de  la  Guerra  de  Castas  en 
Yucatan.     Merida,  1865.     Not  completed. 


APPENDIX.  435 

Gomara,  Francisco  Lopez  de.  Historia  general  de  las  Indias. 
Anvers,  1554. 

Pleasant  Historie  of  the  Conquest  of  the  West  Indies,  now  called 

New  Spayne,  atcheived  by  the  worthy  Prince  Hernando  Cortez, 
Marquis  of  the  Valley  of  Huaxacac,  most  delectable  to  read.  Trans- 
lated by  T.  Nicholas  anno  1578.     Black  letter. 

Gonzales,  Dario.  Compendio  de  Geografia  de  Centro-America. 
Guatemala,  1881. 

Granados  y  Galvez,  Jose  Joaquin.  Tardes  Americanos.  Mexico, 
1778. 

Grimm,  W.     Die  Staaten  Central-Americas.     Berlin,  1871. 

Grisebach,  A.  H.  R.  Flora  of  the  British  West  Indian  Islands. 
London,  1864. 

Guzman.  Apuntamientos  sobre  la  geografia  fisica  de  la  republica  del 
Salvador.     1883. 

Habel,  Dr.  The  Sculptures  of  Santa  Lucia  Cozumalhuapa.  Wash- 
ington, 1879.     Smithsonian  Contributions  to  Knowledge. 

Haefken,  I.     Reize  naar  Guatemala.     Gravenhage,  1828. 

Hakluyt  Society's  Publications.  Discovery  of  America ;  Cortez's 
Expedition  to  Honduras,  etc.     London,  18 G8. 

Hassaurek,  F.  Four  Years  among  Spanish- Americans.  London, 
1868. 

Helps,  Arthur.  The  Spanish  Conquest  in  America,  and  its  relation 
to  the  History  of  Slavery  and  to  the  Government  of  the  Colonies. 
London,  1855-1861.     4  vols. 

Henderson,  G.  An  Account  of  the  British  Settlement  of  Honduras. 
Being  a  Brief  View  of  its  Commercial  and  Agricultural  Resources, 
Soil,  Climate,  Natural  History,  etc.  To  which  are  added  Sketches 
of  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Mosquito  Indians.  London, 
1809.     Second  edition,  1811. 

Herran,  V.  Notice  sur  les  Cinque  Etats  du  Centre- Amerique.  Bor- 
deaux, 1853. 

Herrera,  Antonio  de.  Historia  general  de  los  hechos  de  los  Caste- 
llanos  en  las  islas  y  tierra  firmedeel  mar  oceano,  1492-1531.  Madrid, 
1615.  General  History  of  the  continent  and  islands  of  America 
called  the  West  Indies.  Translated  by  J.  Stevens.  London,  1740. 
6  vols.      (Only  decades  1-3.) 

Humboldt,  Alexander  von.  Vues  des  Cordilleres,  et  Monumens 
des  Peuples  Indigenes  de  l'Amerique.    Paris,  1810.     69  PI.    fol. 

Essai  politique  sur  le  Royaume  de  la  Nouvelle  Espagne.     Paris, 

1611.    2  vols.    4to,  Atlas  folio.     Another  edition,  5  vols.     8  vo. 


436  APPENDIX. 

Humboldt,  Alexander  Von.     Kleinere  Schriften.    Umrisse  von  Vul- 

kanen    aus   den  Cordilleran  von    Quito   und  Mexico.      Stuttgart, 

1853.    8  vols.    4to.    Atlas. 
Ixtlilxocutl.     Histoire  des  Chichimeques  ou  des   anciens   rois   de 

Tezcuco,  par  Fernando  d'Alva  Ixtlilxocbtl.     Traduit  par  H.  Ter- 

naux-Compans.     Paris,  1840. 
Juarros,  Domingo.     Compendio  de  la  Historia  de  la  Ciudad  de  Guate- 
mala.    Guatemala,  1808.    2  vols.     English  translation  by  Bailly. 

London,  1823. 
Kingsborough's  Antiquities  of  Mexico.  9  vols,   folio.  London,  1830- 

1848. 
Lai  kkriere.     De  Paris  a  Guatemala.     Paris,  1867. 
Landa,  Diego  de.     Relation  de  las  Cosas  de  Yucatan.     Edited  bj' 

Brasseur  de  Bourbourg.     Paris,  18G4. 
Larenaudiere.     Mexique  et  Guatemala.     (L'Univers.)     Paris,  1843. 
Larrazabal.     Apuntamientos  sobre  la  Agricultura  y  Commercio  del 

Reyno  de  Guatemala.     Republished  by  the  Sociedad  Economica. 

Guatemala,  18G0. 
Leclerc,  Charles.    Grammaire  caraibe,  suivie  du  catechisme  caraibe. 

Paris,  1877. 
Bibliotheca  Americana  ;  Histoire,  Geographie,  Voyages,  Arche- 

ologie  et  Linguistique  des  deux  Ameriques  et  des  iles  Philippines. 

Paris,  1878. 
Leclercq.      Dictionnaire    Caraibe-francais.      See    Breton-Raymond. 

Rennes,  1665. 
Lemale,    Carlos.     Guia   geognifica   descriptiva   de    los   Centros   de 

Poblacion  de  la  Repiiblica  de  Guatemala.     Guatemala,  1881. 
Levy,    S.     Notas   geograficas  y   economicas  sobre    la  Repiiblica  de 

Nicaragua.     Paris,  1873. 
Lizaxa.     Historia  de  Nuestra  Senora  de  Izamal. 

Long,  R.  C.    The  Ancient  Architecture  of  America.    New  York,  1849. 
Lorexzaxo,  Francisco  Antonio.     Historia  de  Nueva-Espana  escrita 

por  su  esclarecido   conquistador,  Hernan  Cortez,  aumentada  con 

otros  documientos  y  notas.     Mexico,  1770. 
Maiiogany-Tree  :  Its  Botanical  Qualities,  and  how  to  select  and  cut 

in  the  Regions  of  its  Growth.    1850. 
Margil.     El  Perigrino  Septentrional  Atlante  ;  delineado  en  la  Vida 

del  P.  F.  Antonio  Margil,  escribela  Is.  F.  de  Espinoza.     Mexico, 

1737. 
Martyr,  Petrus.     Petri  Martyris  ab  Anghiera  de  rebus  Oceanicis,  et 

de  orbe  novo  decades  III.     Basileae,  1533. 


APPENDIX.  437 

Marure,  A.  Apuntamientos  para  la  historia  de  la  revolution 
de  Centro  America,  publicados  en  San  Cristoval  de  Chiapa, 
1829. 

Maudslay,  A.  P.  Explorations  in  Guatemala,  and  the  Examination 
of  the  Newly-Discovered  Indian  Ruins  of  Quirigua,  Tikal,  and  the 
Usumacinta.  London,  1883.  Proceedings  of  the  Royal  Geographi- 
cal Society. 

Mechlin  and  Warren.  Report  of  a  Journey  from  Belize  to  the  city 
of  Guatemala.     Belize,  1872. 

Mendieta,  Geronimo  de.  Historia  Ecclesiastica  Indiana.  Publicado 
por  Joaquin  G.  Icazbalceta.    Mexico,  1870. 

Meve,  Heinrich,  und  Schmidt,  Julius.  Die  Steinbildwerke  von 
Copan  und  Quirigua.  Berlin,  1883.  Folio.  The  Stone  Sculptures 
of  Copan  and  Quirigua.  New  York,  1883.  (Very  incorrect ;  draw- 
ings poor.) 

Milla  y  Vidaurre,  Jose.  Historia  de  la  America  Central  desde  el 
descubrimiento  del  pais  por  los  Espanoles  (1502)  hasta  su  inde- 
pendencia  de  la  Espana  (1821),  precidida  de  una  "  Noticia  His- 
torica  "  relativa  a  las  naciones  que  habitaban  la  America  Central  a 
la  llegada  de  los  Espanoles.  Guatemala,  1879.  2  vols.  (A  very 
valuable  work,  extending  only  to  the  3*ear  1686,  owing  to  the  death 
of  the  author.) 

Mission  Scientifique  au  Mexique  et  dans  l'Amerique  Centrale.  (In- 
complete.)    v.  cl. 

Moke.  Histoire  des  Peuples  Americains.  (Cited  by  Brasseur  de 
Bourbourg.) 

Molina,  Alonso  de.  Vocabulario  en  lengua  Castellana  y  Mexicans. 
Mexico,  1571.     Folio. 

Molina,  Felipe.  Bosquejo  de  la  Repdblica  de  Costa  Rica.  Madrid, 
1850. 

Montgomery,  G.  W.  Narrative  of  a  Journey  to  Guatemala,  etc.,  in 
1838.     New  York,  1839. 

Morelet,  Arthur  de.  Voyage  dans  l'Amerique  Centrale,  l'lle  de 
Cuba  et  le  Yucatan.     Paris,  1870. 

Travels  in  Central  America,  including  Accounts  of  some  Regions 

unexplored  since  the  Conquest.  From  the  French,  by  Mrs.  M.  F. 
Squier.     London,  1871. 

Morris,  D.  The  Colony  of  British  Honduras,  its  Resources  and 
Prospects  ;  with  Particular  Reference  to  its  Indigenous  Plants  and 
Economic  Productions.     London,  1883. 

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APPENDIX.  441 

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Strangeways,  Thomas.  Sketch  of  the  Mosquito  Shore.  Edinburgh, 
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Suckau,  Henri  de.  Une  Voie  Nouvelle  a  travers  l'Amerique  Cen- 
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Guatemala  from  Mexico.     London,  1829. 

Torquemada,  J.  de.  Monarquia  Indiana,  con  el  origen  y  guerras  de 
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442 


APPENDIX. 


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Wagner,  M.,  und  Scherzer,  Karl.  Die  Republik  Costa  Rica.  Leip- 
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Stuttgart,  1870. 

Waldeck,  Fred.  de.  Yo}-age  pittoresque  et  archeologique  dans  la 
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Recherches  sur  les  mines  de  Palenque.     Paris,  1866.     Folio. 

Walker,  William.  The  War  in  Nicaragua.  Mobile,  1860.  ( This 
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Wells,  William  V.  Explorations  and  Adventures  in  Honduras ; 
comprising  sketches  of  travel  in  the  Gold  Regions  of  Olancho,  and 
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Ximexes,  Fr.  P'rancisco.  Las  Historias  del  origen  de  los  indios  de  esta 
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Viena,  1857.     Ed.  por  Karl  Scherzer. 


From   an   Ancient    Manuscript. 


INDEX. 


• 


r 


INDEX. 


[Illustrations  are  marked  by  italic  pagination.] 


Abutiloxs,  88. 
Acacia,  192. 
Acajutla,  11. 
Acorns  in  bark,  110. 
Agatized  wood,  70. 
Agaves,  113,  355. 
Agua  Blanca,  197.  . 
Agua,  Volcan  de,  159,  387. 
Aguacateca,  278. 
Aguan  River,  9. 
Aguardiente  monopoly,  101. 
Aguas  calientes,  5,  81,  381. 
Akahales,  261. 
Alaguilac,  278. 
Alajuela,  railroad,  22. 
Alcaldes,  146. 
Aleman,  Hotel,  91,  92. 
Alligator,  eggs,  372. 

pear,  366. 

shot,  75,  371. 
Almolonga,  145,  269,  387. 
Almuerzo,  30. 
Altar  of  Tohil,  122. 
Alvarado,  Jorge  de,  11. 

Pedro  de,  265. 

widow  of,  dies,  389. 
Amapala,  16. 
Amates,  Los,  214. 
Amatitlan,  174. 

Laguna  de,  9,  174. 
Antigua,  159. 

ruins  of,  161. 
Antonio,  Saint,  prayer  to,  274. 
Ants,  375. 

in  qualm-tree,  57. 

leaf-cutting,  413. 

white,  51,  375. 
Apes,  origin  of,  234. 


Argueta,  135, 151. 
Armor,  coats  of,  258. 

defensive,  258. 
Arms  of  Guatemala,  281. 
Army,  296. 

Asamblea  Nacional,  292. 
Ass  at  Jutiapa,  194. 
Assassination  attempted,  181. 
Atitlan,  Lago  de,  154, 156,  402. 

boat  at,  153. 

Volcan  de,  132,  382. 
Audiencia  Real,  281. 
Avalanche  from  Agua,  358. 
Avocado  pear,  366. 
Azacualpa,  192. 

Bahama  grass,  369. 

Ball  at  Sacapulas,  116. 

Ball-game,  257. 

Balsam  coast  shaken,  390. 

Bananas,  351. 

Banos  de  Medina.     (.See  Bath.) 

Barbasco,  213. 

Barbecue,  50. 

Barillas,  M.  L.,  145. 

Barrack  Point,  27. 

Barracks,  Livingston,  33. 

Barrancas,  87,  157. 

Barrios,  J.  R.  149. 

in  exile,  290. 

president,  291. 

visited,  180. 

Puerto,  60,  61. 
Bath,  Atitlan,  152. 

Bola  de  oro,  183. 

Ciudad  Vieja,  160. 

Escuintla,  172. 

in  Pacific  Ocean,  165. 


44G 


INDEX. 


Bats,  destructive,  226. 

vampire,  45. 
Bay  Islands,  17,  67. 
Beans,  365. 
Beetles,  :!74. 
Belgian  Colony,  36,  60. 
Belize,  City  of,  74. 

River,  8. 
Bibliography,  430. 
Birds  of  Guatemala,  374. 
Black  sheep,  137. 
Blacksmiths  at  Zacapa,  210. 
Blow-gun,  236. 
Boas,  62. 
Boat  at  Atitlan,  153. 

Amatitlan,  174. 
Boca-nueva  Valley,  79. 
Bonaca  Island,  17. 
Botlass-fly,  375. 
Bourbourg,  Brasseur  de,  230. 
Brand  on  slaves,  267. 

mare,  102. 
Breadfruit,  170,  365. 
Breeds,  mixed,  421. 
Bridge,  Los  Esclavos,  191. 

ropes,  107. 

vines,  79. 
Bridling  a  mare,  155. 
Bromelia  Pinguin,  191. 
Buenaventura,  San,  9. 
Bullfight,  185. 
Bulls,  gentle,  82 
Burial-ground,  119. 

mound,  106.    (See  Campo  Santo. 
Burned  kings,  268. 
Butterflies,  53,  374. 

Caballos,  Puerto  de,  16. 
Cabildo  of  Coban,  93. 
Cabracan,  236. 
Cacao,  345,  346. 
Caceres,  Alonzo  de,  16. 
Cactus,  114. 

lassoed,  210. 
Cahabon  Kiver,  9,  75. 
Cakehiquel  Chronicle,  259,  277. 
Cakchiquels,  262 
Calabash,  123,  193. 
Calonyction  speciosum,  349. 
Calletano,  Luciano,  24. 
Canajpii,  9. 
Candles  offered,  208. 
Cane-brake,  74. 
Cane  heads,  162. 


Cannibalism,  249. 

Canoa,  66. 

Cantaras,  117. 

Campo  Santo,  Livingston,  27. 

Quiche,  119. 

Coban,  98. 

Guatemala,  182. 
Caratasca,  Lago  de,  9. 
Carcaste,  126,  198. 
Carib  boys,  274. 

prayer,  274. 
Caribbee,  273. 
Caribs,  271. 
Carillo,  22. 

Carmen,  Church  of,  179. 
Carrera,  Rafael,  287,  288. 

tomb  of,  178. 
Cartago,  9,  22. 

destroyed,  391. 

Volcan  de,  383. 
Cartina,  Lago  de,  10. 
Cassava,  32,  365. 

grating,  32. 
Castillo  de  S.  Pelipe,  69. 
Castilloa  elastica,  347. 
Cathedral,  Santiago,  178. 
Cayo  Paloma,  42. 
Cazuela,  82. 
Cecropia-tree,  57. 
Cedar,  337. 
Ceiba-tree,  49. 

Sacapulas,  115. 
Cenotes,  53,  385. 
Censer,  ancient,  251. 

modern,  207. 
Centipedes,  374. 
Central  America,  bounds,  2. 

mountains,  3. 

lakes,  9. 

rivers,  7. 
Cerbatana,  236. 
Cerna,  defeated,  290. 

president,  289. 
Cerro  Quemado,  141,  382. 
Chama,  Sierra  de,  6. 
Chamiquio,  83. 
Champa  building,  56. 
Champerico,  145. 
Chieaman,  108,  110. 
Chicha,  68,  163. 
Chicheria,  163. 
Chichicastenango,  127,  129. 
Children  desired,  250. 
Chile,  366. 


INDEX. 


447 


Chile  relleno,  366. 
Cliimalmat,  236. 
Chiote,  366. 
Cliiquimula,  208. 
Chixoy  bridge,  106,  107. 

River,  8. 

Valley,  114. 
Chocolate,  346. 

drink,  422. 

planting,  255. 
Chocon  River,  44. 
Chontales,  18. 
Chorti  language,  278. 
Church,  Carmen,  179. 

Coban,  94. 

confiscation,  292. 

Quezaltenango,  143. 

ruined,  Antigua,  161. 

service,  Coban,  99. 
Circumcision,  247. 
City  of  Belize,  steamer,  74. 
Ciudad  Vieja,  160. 

destroyed,  388. 
Civil  service,  Quiche,  253. 
Clavigero  quoted,  229. 
Cleanliness,  want  of,  422. 
Climbing-palm,  332. 
Cloth  pattern,  95. 
Coatepeque,  Lago  de,  401. 
Coban,  Campo  Santo,  98. 

church,  94. 

Plaza,  94. 

Indio,  99. 
Cobre,  359. 
Cochineal,  337. 
Cockscomb  Range,  6. 
Coconut,  358. 

young,  360. 
Cocos,  365. 
Coffee,  343. 

crop,  344. 

esencia  de,  84. 

Liberian,  344. 
Cohune  palm,  49,  330. 
Coir,  359. 
Colegio  de  Libertad,  101. 

Senoritas,  142. 
Coloradia  (Leptus  sp.),  34. 
Comajen,  51. 
Comal,  71. 
Comayagua  plain,  6. 
Comida,  30. 
Composite,  87. 
Conch  soup,  376. 


Conch,  trumpet,  76. 

various  kinds,  376. 
Confiscated  church,  292. 
Confra  palm,  333. 
Congrehoy  Peak,  384. 
Conquistadores,  282. 
Constitution,  286. 
Convolvulus,  81,  427. 
Cookery,  314,  421. 
Cooking-bench,  82. 
Copan,  229. 
Cordoba  founded,  20. 
Corn  at  Argueta,  151. 

man  made  from,  235. 
Corozal  mines,  11. 
Corozo  palm,  329. 
Coseguina,  eruption,  399. 
Cotuha,  king,  231. 
Court  at  Livingston,  318. 

trials,  318. 
Coyote,  371. 
Crab-catching,  240. 
Creation  of  world,  233. 

man,  235. 
Criba,  Laguna  de,  10. 
Cross-breeding,  421. 
Cross  on  monoliths,  220. 
Cruz,  Serapio,  289. 
Cuatro-reales,  147. 
Cuajinicuilapa,  191. 
Cuartillo,  102. 
Cuchumatanes,  6. 
Cuilapa,  191. 
Culhuacan,  229. 
Cunen,  111. 

Currency  of  Guatemala,  305. 
Cuscatlan,  261. 

Danta,  370. 

Deaf-mutes,  school  for,  300. 

Dahlia,  112,  158. 

Davila,  Padre,  202. 

Death-rate,  65. 

Debt,  public,  302. 

Departments,  Costa  Rica,  22. 

Guatemala,  294. 

Honduras,  15. 

Nicaragua,  20. 

San  Salvador,  12. 
Depilto  mines,  19. 
Deluge,  Quiche',  234. 
Dentistry,  Quiche,  238. 
Desmoncus,  332. 
Devisadero  mines,  11. 


448 


INDEX. 


Dogs,  half-fed,  83. 
Dolls  at  Antigua,  162. 
Dragon  Rock,  55. 
Dulce,  Rio,  9,  41. 
Dwellings,  no  ruins  of,  420. 

Earrings,  225. 
Earthquake,  Santa  Cruz,  90. 

terms,  390. 
Earthquakes,  387. 

theory  of,  407. 
Education,  public,  296. 
Elena,  Santa,  208. 
Encuentros,  130. 

mine,  11. 
Eruptions,  volcanic,  386. 
Esclavos,  Rio  de,  8,  191. 
Escuintla,  164. 

conquered,  269. 

founded,  261. 
Esencia  de  cafe,  84. 
Espina  blanca,  192. 
Esquipulas,  201. 

Santuario,  202. 
Ethnographic  Chart,  271. 
Euphorbia,  84. 
Exancul,  141. 

Expenses  of  Guatemala,  303. 
Exports  of  Guatemala,  312. 
Ex-votos,  205. 

Falls  of  Michatoya,  173. 
Feather-work,  256. 
Ferns,  335. 

Ferro-carril  del  Norte,  62. 
Feudal  system,  231. 
Fibre,  agave.  355. 

banana, 354. 

ixtli,  355. 

pita,  354. 

plantain,  354. 
Ficus  elastica,  349. 
Figueroa,  Bishop,  203. 
Fish,  373. 

at  Ilopango,  403. 
Flores  murdered,  142,  286. 
Fonseca,  Gulf  of,  11. 
Forced  loan,  290. 
Forest  at  Chocon,  324. 
Fort  of  San  Felipe,  69. 

Jose',  177. 
Frank  on  Mabel,  106. 
Frijoles,  365. 
Frogs,  373. 


Fruits,  308. 

Fuego,  Volcau  de,  151,  392. 

Galero,  Don  J.  M.,  134. 
Game,  369. 
Garden,  Solola,  134. 

Quezaltenango,  144. 
Garrapatos,  376. 
Gil,  San,  59. 
Girdle- weaving,  252. 
Goyavas,  green,  78. 

varieties,  368. 
Granada,  20. 
Granadillas,  93,  368. 
Granados,  President,  290. 
Grasses.  369. 
Grasshopper,  57. 
Gualan,  212. 

Guanaja,  or  Bonacca,  17. 
Guatemala  City,  ITS. 

Street,  176. 
Guatemaltecan  names,  418. 
Guavas,  368. 
Guepiles,  189. 
Guija,  Lago  de,  10. 
Guinea  grass,  369. 
Gucumatz,  229. 
Gumarcah,  232. 

Heights  of  mountains,  424. 
Henequen,  355. 
Hevea  braziliensis,  349. 
Iiikatee,  372. 
Hippodrome,  187. 
Hondo  Valley,  207. 
Honduras,  13. 

Interoceanic  Railway,  17 

name  of,  419. 
Horse  astray,  199. 
Hospitals,  316. 
House,  Carib,  30. 
Houses  in  Coban,  96. 
Hueytlat,  230. 
Humming-birds  fighting,  217. 

nest,  57. 
Hunahpu,  235. 
Hunapu  volcanoes,  191. 
Huntoh,  king,  258. 
Huracan,  233. 

Icaco  plum,  367. 
Ideographs,  251. 
Iguanas,  47,  372. 
iiocab,  231. 


INDEX. 


449 


Ilopango,  Lago  de,  402,  403. 

sacrifice  at,  404. 
Imports  of  Guatemala,  308. 
Incense-burner,  207. 
India-rubber,  346,  347. 
Indigo,  337. 

Instituto  Nacional,  183. 
Intibuca,  cool,  13. 
Istak  volcano,  381. 
Istapa,  8,  168. 
Ixils,  278. 
Iximche,  259. 
Ixtli  fibre,  355. 
Izabal,  224,  225. 

Lago  de,  224. 
Izalco  formed,  395. 
Izmaclu  founded,  231. 
Iztayul,  231. 

Jacinto,  San,  207. 
Jaguar  (tigre),  371. 
Jaguilla,  370. 
Jefes  politicos,  294. 
Jesuits  banished,  291. 
Jicara,  123,  124. 
Jocote  fruit,  89,  367. 
Jocote  village,  108. 
Jose',  San,  Costa  Rica,  21. 

Guatemala,  165. 
Juan,  San,  Rio,  9. 
Jutiapa,  193. 

Kataure,  126. 
Kingdom  of  Guatemala,  1. 
Kings  of  Quiche',  253. 
Kitchen,  monks',  104. 

Labor  wage,  314. 

Lacandones,  8. 
Ladron  at  Quiche',  127. 
Lago,  Amatitlan,  174. 

Atitlan,  152,  154, 156. 

Guija,  10. 
Lamp,  native,  98. 
La  Paz,  192. 
La  Tinta,  81. 
La  Union,  11. 
Las  Quebradas  relies,  224. 
Lassoing  cactus,  210. 
Law  of  Guatemala,  295. 
Legislature,  Costa  Rica,  22. 

Guatemala,  292. 

Salvador,  12. 
Lemoa,  127. 


Lemons,  358. 

Lempa,  Rio,  10. 

Lempira  rebels,  283. 

Leon  founded,  20. 

Libertad,  11. 

Libraries  in  Guatemala,  301. 

Limas,  358. 

Limes,  358. 

Limestone  corroded,  54,  55. 

Limon,  Puerto,  22. 

Lion  bird,  46. 

Listones,  95. 

Livingston,  28. 

death-rate,  65. 

free  port,  36. 

landing,  26. 

street,  28. 
Lobelias,  88. 
Logwood,  337. 
Lomalarga  mines,  11. 
Los  Amates,  214. 

Machete,  05. 
Mafia  (devil),  275. 
Mahogany,  335. 
Mail-service,  307. 
Maiz,  39,  363.- 
Mam,  230. 
Mama-caixon,  263. 
Man  created,  234. 
Man  on  fire,  159. 
Manaca  palm,  49. 
Managua  destroyed,  20. 

Lago  de,  10. 

Treaty  of,  21. 
Manatee,  370. 
Manihot,  305. 
Mango,  367. 
Mangroves,  323. 
Manzanillas,  171,  367. 
Mapacliines,  370. 
Maps,  256. 
Mare  sunstruck,  172. 

to  bridle  a,  155. 
Marimba,  122, 123. 
Markets  in  Guatemala,  188. 
Masaya  eruption,  385. 
Mask  in  Museo  Nacional,  200. 
Matagalpa  mines,  19. 
Matapalo-tree,  325,  326. 
Maya  language,  275. 
Measures  and  weights,  425. 
Mecapal,  78. 
Merendon,  Sierra  del,  0. 


29 


450 


INDEX. 


Mermaids  in  church,  112. 
Metatle,  70,  363. 
Michatoya  Falls,  173. 

Rio,  8. 
Mico,  El,  crossing,  223. 
Miguel,  San,  84. 

Volcan  de,  390. 
Mines,  11,  14,  19. 
Miracle,  Esquipulas,  206. 
Mixed  races,  421. 
Molina,  Don  Luis,  05. 
Money  in  Guatemala,  305,  424. 
Monkeys,  73.  369. 
Monoliths,  219,  220,221,  222. 
Monte  Rico,  198. 
Montezuma's  embassy,  262. 
Months,  Quiche',  256. 
Moon-plant,  340. 
Morazan,  General,  286. 
Mosquito  Reservation,  18,  21. 
Motagua,  Rio,  0,  211. 
Mozo  hiring,  78. 
Mozo  on  road,  198. 
Mozos  de  cargo,  78,  279. 
Museo  Nacional,  183. 

Nachan,  229. 
Nahoas,  229. 
Naiads  in  a  spring,  85. 
Names  of  towns,  418. 
Newspapers,  301. 
Nicaragua,  18. 

Lago  de,  10. 

Volcanoes,  383. 
Nopal.  338. 
Nutmegs,  362. 

OCOS,  PUERTO  DE,  172. 

<  >cote,  76. 

Offspring  desired,  250. 
Oil  of  cohune,  331. 
Ometepec,  10,  387. 
Omoa,  16. 

Montana  de,  6. 
Opals,  14. 
Oranges,  357. 

cheap,  109. 

Teleman,  80. 
Organs  in  church,  128. 
Orchids,  333,  428. 

Paulo,  Sax,  211. 
Pacava  palm,  331. 
Volcan  de,  216. 


Paddle  and  machete,  65. 
Painting,  Quiche,  250. 
Palenque,  229. 
Palin,  173. 
Palms,  328. 
Palo  Cortez,  211. 
Panajachel,  155. 
Panela,  105,  342. 
Pansos,  9,  76. 
Papaya,  366. 
Paper,  256. 
Parties,  political,  285. 
Passion-flower,  44,  376. 
Patzicia,  158,  391. 
Patzun,  157. 
Pawpaw,  366. 
Peccaries,  370. 
Pelican  shot,  42. 
Petaca  making,  276. 
Peten,  Laguna  del,  9. 
Petrifying  brook,  104. 
Pharomacrus  mocino,  97. 
Photographs  taken,  423. 
Piedras  Gordas,  198. 
Pier,  San  Jose,  166. 
Pimento  palm,  331. 
Pine  (Pin us),  337. 
Pine-apples,  191,  361. 
Pine-needles,  110. 
Pipiles,  271. 
Pit-craters,  401. 
Pita,  104,  357. 
Pitpans,  8. 
Plantains,  351,  352. 
Plants,  indigenous,  425. 
Plaza,  Coban,  94. 

Sacapulas,  118. 
Plough,  Indian,  340. 
Pocomam  women,  275. 
Pocomams,  262. 
Poconchi  Indios,  82. 
Poknoboy  palm,  331. 
Political  parties,  285. 
Polochic,  Rio,  8,  72. 
Polygamy,  unlawful,  254. 
Popul  Vuh,  230. 
Porpoises  in  Golfete,  67. 
Postage-stamps,  307. 
Potato-fields,  130. 
Potatoes,  sweet,  365. 
Pottery,  117, 189. 
Poyas,  17. 
Prado,  Juan,  105. 
Prayer,  Quiche,  old,  249. 


IXDEX. 


451 


Prayer,  Quiche,  Christian,  417. 
President  Barillas,  145. 

Barrios,  149. 

Carrera,  288. 

Cerna,  289. 

Granados,  290. 

how  elected,  293. 

visited,  150,  180. 
Primavera,  105. 
Prisons,  116. 
Privies,  absent,  154. 
Procession,  religious,  186. 
Professional  instruction,  299. 
Pronunciation  of  names,  129. 
Provisions,  price  of,  314. 
Puerto  Barrios,  60,  61. 

Caballos,  16. 

Cortez,  16. 

Limon,  22. 
Pulque,  355. 
Puma,  371. 
Pumice,  174. 
Pumice  razors,  153. 
Punishments  in  Guatemala,  319. 
Punta  Arenas,  22. 
Pupuluca,  271. 

QCALM-TREE,  57. 

Quaternity,  149. 
Quekchi  Indio,  93,  277. 
Quetzal,  97. 
Quetzalcoatl,  229. 
Quezaltenango,  141. 

alcaldes,  146. 

church,  143. 
Quezaltepeque,  206. 
Quicab,  king,  258. 
Quiche,  Santa  Cruz  del,  118. 

language,  277. 

names,  233. 

prayer,  417. 

ancient,  249. 

sacred  book,  230. 

trousers,  119. 
Quirigua,  plan,  217. 

River,  216. 

Railroad  Map.  168. 
to  San  Jose,  165. 
Razor  of  pumice,  153. 
Religion  free,  295. 
Remedies,  Indian,  317. 
Retalhuleu,  145. 
Revolution,  283. 


Rey  portentoso,  232. 
Rice-crops,  39,  357. 

pounding,  356. 
Rivas,  18. 
Road-building,  106. 
Uoatan,  17. 
Rock  Island,  43. 
Rocket-making,  160. 
Roof-tile,  89. 
Roses,  87. 
Rosewood,  337. 
Rozales,  Don  Alonzo,  193. 
Kuins,  Antigua,  161. 

Quirigua,  217. 

Utatlan,  120. 

Sacapulas,  115. 

Plaza,  118. 

Chixoy  Valley,  114. 
Sacate  buying,  157. 
Sacatepequez,  202. 
Sacaton,  192. 
Saccharine,  64. 
Sacrificatorio,  122. 
Sacrifice,  human,  249. 

at  Ilopango,  404. 
to  Tohil,  246. 
Salcaja,  140. 
Salm-wood,  337. 
Salvador,  San,  11. 

City  destroyed,  392. 
San  Andres,  156. 

Cristobal,  103. 

Felipe,  67,  69. 

Gil,  59. 

Jose,  165. 

Juan,  20. 

Miguel,  11. 

Tucuru,  84. 
Volcan  de,  396. 
Santa  Ana,  395. 

Catarina,  196. 

Cruz,  Alta  Verapaz,  90. 
breakfast,  103. 

Cruz  (2),  109. 

Cruz  del  Quiche,  200. 

Maria  wood,  337. 
Volcan  de,  141. 
Santo  Tomas,  36,  60. 

Chicastenango,  127. 
Santuario,  Esquipulas,  202. 
Sapodilla,  337. 
Sapote,  131. 
Sapoton  fruit,  41. 


452 


INDEX. 


Saquinimac,  237. 

Sarsaparilla,  350. 

Sarstun,  Kio,  8. 

Sauce,  70. 

Schools  in  Guatemala,  297. 

Scorpions,  374. 

Seat,  stone,  2S0. 

Secondary  instruction,  298. 

Secretaries  of  State,  293. 

Segovia,  Hio,  9. 

Semetabaj,  150. 

Serpiente,  36. 

Shaving  with  pumice,  153. 

Sheol,  men  in,  89. 

Sinca  language,  278. 

Sipacua,  230,  240. 

Sisal  hemp,  355. 

Slaves  branded,  267. 

Smilax,  350. 

Snakes,  62,  67,  377. 

Solola,  131,  132. 

Sonsonate,  11. 

Spanish  stirrup,  184. 

Spiders,  374. 

Squashes,  365. 

Stamped  paper,  102. 

Stevia,  112. 

Stirrup,  ancient,  184. 

Stoll,  Dr.  A.,  271. 

Street,  Guatemala  City,  176. 

Livingston,  28. 
Subsidence,  158. 
Suchitan,  195. 
Sugar-cane,  340. 

crop,  342. 

mill,  341. 

yield,  39. 
Sulphur  spring,  63. 
Suyacal,  78. 

Tactic,  88. 

Taltusas,  370. 

Tamahu,  87. 

Taxes  in  Guatemala,  303. 

Teachers'  Institutes,  297. 

Tecpan  Quauhtemalan,  160,  259. 

Tecum,  260. 

Tegucigalpa,  16. 

Telegraphs,  306. 

Teleman,  80. 

Temple,  ancient,  245. 

Tenedores,  63. 

Terminos,  Lago  de,  8. 

Tepepul,  king,  259. 


Teponaztles,  258. 
Theatre,  181. 
Theohronia  cacao,  346. 
Tigres,  371. 
Tilapa,  Rio,  2G6. 
Tile  on  roof,  89. 
Tipitapa,  Rio,  10. 
Tizate  poison,  243. 
Tobacco  of  Copan,  15. 
Tohil's  altar,  122. 
Toldo,  60. 

Toliman,  San  Lucas,  9. 
Tomas,  Santo,  60. 

Chichicastenango,  127. 
Tonala,  Battle  of,  266. 
Topiltzin  Acxitl,  230. 
Toranjas,  358. 
Tortilla-making,  71,  363. 
Totonicapan,  137,  138. 
Trachyte,  406. 
Trapiche,  196. 
Trinity,  Quiche',  230. 
Trousers  in  Quiche,  119. 
Trujillo,  16. 
Tucurii,  84. 
Tula,  229. 
Tultecas,  229. 
Tultec  emigration,  260. 
Tun,  258. 
Turtle,  372. 
Turtle  nest,  216. 
Tzutohiles,  277,  278. 

Ulua,  Rio,  9. 
Uspantan,  110,  277. 
Usumacinta,  Rio,  8,  116. 
Utatlan,  120,  232. 
Utila,  384. 

Vado  Hoxdo,  208. 
Vampire-hats,  45. 
Vanilla,  334. 
Vara,  96. 

Vejuco  de  agua,  54. 
Vejucos,  51. 
Vine  bridge,  79. 
Vital  statistics,  316. 
Volcanic  action,  406. 

cones,  407. 
Volcanoes  of  Central  America,  380. 
Votan,  229. 
Vucubatz,  king,  258. 
Vucub-caquix,  235. 


INDEX. 


Warree,  370. 

Warree  cohune,  831. 

Washout  on  road,  157. 

Water-vine,  54. 

Watson,  S.,  collection,  327. 

Weaving,  95,  139,  252,  255. 

Wedding  at  Patzun,  158. 

Weights  and  Measures.  425. 

Wheat,  364. 

Wheat  market,  Solola,  132. 

Whistle,  Las  Quehradas,  227. 

Wizard,  263. 

Woman  created,  235. 

Woods,  native  names,  411. 

Writing,  Quiche,  250. 

Xbalanque,  235. 
Xelahu,  145,  267. 
Xibalbay,  229. 


Xicaques,  17. 
Ximenes,  230. 
Xmucane,  234. 
Xpiyacoc,  233,  234. 
Xuchil,  rape  of,  269. 
Xutiapan,  194. 

Yam,  365. 
Yampux,  262. 
Yojoa,  Lago  de,  10. 

Zacapa,  210. 

puros,  211. 
Zapotitlan,  266. 
Zarco,  Rio,  74. 
Zarza,  850. 
Ziricote,  337. 
Zompopos,  413. 


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II.— FROM    EGYPT    TO    JAPAN. 

From   Prof.    ROSU'ELL    D.    HITCHCOCK,    D.D.,    LL.D. 
"  In  this  second  volume,  Dr.  Field,   I   think,   has  surpassed  himself  in  the  first,  and  this  is 
saying  a  good  deal.     In  both  volumes  the  editorial  instinct  and  habit  are  conspicuous.     Dr.  Prime 
has  said  that  an  editor  should   have  six  senses,  the  sixth  being,  a  "sense  of  the  interesting."' 
Dr.  Field  has  this  to  perfection.     ..." 


III.— ON    THE    DESERT. 

WITH  A.    BRIEF  REVIEW  OF  RECENT  EVENTS   IN  EGTFT. 


An  account  of  a  journey  in  the  track  of  the  Israelites  along  the  Red  Sea,  among  the  peaks  of 
Sinai,  through  the  Desert  of  the  Wandering,  and  up  to  the  Promised  Land. 


From   the   NEW    YORK   HERALD. 
"There  is  not  an  uninteresting  chapter  in  the  book.     It  is  entertaining  throughout.    It  depicts 
men  and  countries  in  a  picturesque  and  thoughtful  manner,  and  is  likely  to  meet  with  as  much 
favor  as  the  author's  former  capital  books  of  travel." 


IV.-AMONG    THE    HOLY    HILLS. 

A  description  of  the  sacred  localities  of  Palestine  by  a  veteran  traveller.  The  interest  of  the 
Holy  Land  above  all  others,  is  that  here  was  spent  the  most  wonderful  life  that  ever  was  lived  on 
the  earth  ;  and  the  purpose  of  the  journey,  to  which  this  book  is  indebted,  is  to  trace  that  life 
from  its  beginning  among  its  native  hills  and  to  follow  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  our  Lord,  not 
merely  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  but  through  Samaria  and  Galilee,  along  the  lake  shore  and  on 
the  mountain  side. 

V.-THE    GREEK    ISLANDS    AND   TURKEY    AFTER 
THE    WAR. 

From  a  Letter  from  Dr.  HOWARD  CROSBY. 
"  It  fully  sustains  the  high  reputation  which  the  author  has  won  from  his  preceding  books  of 
travel.  I  believe  that  the  verdict  of  posterity  will  put  Dr.  Field's  name  first  in  the  list  of  Ameri- 
can travel  writers.  His  graceful  style,  his  thorough  mastery  of  language,  his  graphic  picturing, 
his  historical  and  political  references  to  his  sound  conclusions,  make  most  fascinating  and 
instructive  reading. 

"  It  is  the  best  of  all  works  on  the  Island  of  Greece,  and  on  Turkey  and  Asia  Minor." 

— Springfield  Republican. 
"  If  there  were  any  best  among  Dr.  Field's  works  of  travel,  we  should  aver  that  it  was  this." 

—  The  Critic. 


SCRIBNER'S    GUIDE-BOOKS. 


The  Index  Guide 

New  Edition.  18S7.  Leather  Binding. 

TO  TRAYEL  AND  ART-STUDY  IN  EUROPE. 

By    LAFAYETTE   C.    LOOMIS,   A.M. 

With  Plans  and  Catalogues  of  the  Chief  Art  Galleries,  Maps, 
Tables  of  Routes,  and  160  Illustrations. 

One  Volume,    16mo,  600  Pages,  $3.50. 

In  condensing  into  one  volume  what  Baedeker  could  hardly  comprise  in  nine,  and 
Murray  in  fifteen.  Professor  Loomis  has  accomplished  a  herculean  labor,  which  his 
countrymen  should  not  be  slow  to  recognize.  With  characteristic  good  sense,  he  has 
given  only  brief  reference  to  routes,  hotels,  and  cost,  devoting  his  space  to  history, 
mythology,  and  art.  He  has  met  the  work  with  a  discrimination  and  intelligence 
which  can  hardly  be  too  highly  praised. 

"Only  words  of  praise  can  be  spoken  of  this  work." 
"The  best  and  completest." 

"  By  all  odds  the  best  Guide  I  have  ever  seen." 
"And  something  better  than  a  guide-book." 
"Almost  a  triumph  of  genius  in  bookmaking." 


Part  I. — Scenery,  Art,  History,  Legends,  and  Myths,  including  descriptions  of  places, 
buildings,  monuments,  works  of  art,  and  the  historical  facts,  legends,  and  myths 
connected  with  these. 

Part  II. — Plans  and  Catalogues  of  the  Art  Galleries  of  Europe. 

PART  III. — Maps,  Tables,  and  Directions  for  all  leading  Routes  of  Travel. 

THE   MEXICAN   GUIDE. 

NEW   EDITION    FOR    1887. 

By     THOMAS     A.     JANVIER. 

One  Volume,  16mo.    With  large  folded  maps.    Leather,  net,  $2.50. 

The  Mexican  Guide  has  received  the  official  endorsement  of  the  Mexican  Government  (see 
extract  from  the.DiARio  Oficial  below),  the  warm  commendation  of  the  newspaper  press  of 
Mexico  and  the  United  States,  the  substantial  approval  of  the  travelling  public.  It  is  the  only 
practical,  accurate  guide-book  to  Mexico. 

"  The  Mexican  Guide,  written  in  English  and  destined  for  the  use  of  travellers  who  visit 
Mexico,  is  a  book  that  merits  especial  commendation  because  of  the  fullness  and  exactness  of 
the  facts  which  it  presents,  and  the  judgment  and  care  shown  in  its  preparation.  The  book  is 
acccompanied  by  a  map  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  one  of  its  environs,  both  exact  and  useful. 
We  recommend  the  purchase  of  this  guide." 

AN   IDYL     OF    THE    SUMMER    ISLANDS. 

BERMUDA. 

By    JULIA     C.     R.     DORR. 

With   Map.     One  Volume,    1 2mo,  $1.25. 

"  A  delicious  book  in  its  bright  descriptions  of  a  sunny  land,  where  winter  snow  and  frost 
are  never  known.  There  is  very  little  of  hard,  dry  description  in  the  volume,  but  there  is  much 
of  accurate  information  deftly  conveyed  in  a  bright,  off-hand  manner,  and  the  whole  work  is  so 
permeated  by  a  sympathetic  feeling  and  comprehension  for  that  which  is  most  fascinating  in  Ber- 
mudian  life,  that  we  get  a  vivid  impression  of  naturalness  from  the  reading  of  its  pages." 

— Boston  Saturday  Evening  Gazette. 


A    NOTEWORTHY   BOOK. 


Our  Arctic  Province 

ALASKA    AXD    THE   SEAL    JSLAXDS. 

By  HENRY  W.    ELLIOTT. 

Illustrated  by  Drawings  from  Nature,  by  the  Author,  and  Maps. 


One   Volume,   8vo,   $4.50. 


Mr.  Elliott  has  for  many  years  been  connected  with  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  at  Washington.  A  scientist  and  a  naturalist,  his  book  on 
Alaska,  besides  being  of  the  utmost  interest  to  the  general  reader,  is  of 
great  value  and  importance  as  a  contribution  to  scientific  research.  The 
author  has  spent  six  or  seven  years  in  studying  Alaska  and  its  people, 
travelling  from  the  most  southerly  point  of  the  province  to  the  most 
northerly,  along  the  coast,  and  among  the  islands  extending  300  miles  to 
the  west.  His  treatment  of  the  seal  interests  is  particularly  full,  and  of 
especial  moment  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  contract  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Alaska  Seal  Company,  which  supplies  the  world  with  seal- 
skins, will  soon  lapse,  and  the  subject  is  certain  to  come  up  prominently  in 
Government  affairs.  The  natives  and  the  Alaskan  life  Mr.  Elliott  writes 
of  as  one  who  knows  his  subject  intimately.  The  illustrations,  of  which 
there  are  about  a  hundred,  are  engraved  from  the  author's  original  draw- 
ings and  water-color  paintings. 


There  has  scarcely  been  a  book  published  on  Arctic  travel  so  vivid 
Philadelphia         and  picturesque  in  treatment,  and  so  clear  and  definite  in  the  infor- 
Record.  mation  which  it  furnishes,  as  this  work  by  Mr.   Elliott.     .     .     .     It  is 

an  effective  and  really  wonderful  record  of  travel  and  exploration. 

Other  books  may  still  be  written  about  Alaska,  but  it  is  not  easy  to 
N.    Y.  yournal    understand  how  any  of  them  can  exceed  this  one  in  interest,  or  in 
of  Commerce.       any   way   shake   its  authority  as  an  accurate  guide  to  "Our  Arctic 
Province." 

A  book  that  is  a  work  ;  not  a  sportsman's  pastime,  but  a  scientist's 
rary  treatise;  not  a  history,  not  a  mere  description,  not  a  narrative  of  ad- 
venture ;  but  a  carefully  studied,  thoroughly  assimilated,  intelligently 
written,  attractively  illustrated  exposition  of  Alaska. 

Nothing  so  complete  and  satisfactory  has  ever  before  appeared  in 
print  in  this  country  as  this  absorbingly  interesting  and  minutely 
accurate  account  of  the  great  Alaskan  Seal  Islands,  and  the  book  must 
now  be  regarded  as  the  standard  authority  on  "  Our  Arctic  Province." 

Few  books  on  Alaska  contain  so  much  that  has  real  value  and  posi- 
tive interest  as  this.  It  is  an  accumulation  of  very  vital  facts  about 
that  country  set  forth  in  an  exact  and  yet  attractive  manner. 

A  standard,  comprehensive  work,  whose  scientific  accuracy  is  be- 
yond question,  and  whose  graphic  descriptions  and  vital  interpreta- 
tions of  the  resources  of  Alaska  hold  the  reader  with  something  of  the 
charm  of  a  romance.  .  .  .  The  book  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 
valuable  contributions  to  contemporary  literature. 


Boston  Lite 
World. 


Chicago 
Herald. 


A'ew  York 
Times. 


Boston 
Traveller. 


"THE   ONE    BOOK    ON    CHINA." 


THE    MIDDLE    KINGDOM. 

A  Survey  of  the  Geography,   Government,   Literature,   Social   Life,   Arts  and  History 
of  the  Chinese   Empire  and  its  Inhabitants. 

WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS   AND    A    NEW    MAP   OF   THE   EMPIRE. 

By  S.   WELLS  WILLIAMS,   LL.D., 

Professor  of  the  Chinese  Language  and  Literature  at    Vale  College;   Author  of    Tonic  and 

Syllabic  Dictionaries  of  the  Chinese  Language. 

Two  Volumes,  8vo.     Price,  $9.00. 


The  wonderful  advance  in  the  arts  of  civilization  and  intellectual  development  made  by  China 
durin?  the  thirty-five  years  since  this  book  was  first  written,  and  especially  the  new  basis  upon  which 
its  foreign  relations  have  been  established  and  the  events  that  are  even  now  occurring  in  this  connec- 
tion, render  the  publication  of  this  revised  edition  unusually  important. 


"  All  this  vast  mass  of  new  and  trustworthy  information  concerning  the  'Middle  Kingdom,'  Dr. 
Williams  has  gathered  together  and  condensed  with  praiseworthy  diligence  and  ability,  and  the  result 
is  an  encyclopaedia  of  China  the  value  of  which  cannot  be  overestimated.  .  .  .  An  exceedingly  com- 
plete and  accurate  account  of  the  most  interesting  country  in  the  world." — London  Saturday  Review. 

"The  revised  edition  of  the  'Middle  Kingdom'  is  the  most  ambitious  and  the  best  executed  work, 
typographically  speaking,  that  has  issued  for  a  long  time  from  American  presses.  From  a  literary 
standpoint  it  must  be  regarded  as  the  best  general  work  on  China  extant,  and  therefore  as  indispens- 
able to  the  reader  who  wishes  to  obtain  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  wonderful  country  and  people  it 
treats  of." — N.    Y.    Tribune. 


COREA:    THE    HERMIT    NATION. 

By   WILLIAM    ELLIOT    GRIFFIS, 

AUTHOR  OF   "THE  MIKADO'S  EMPIRE,"  AND  LATE  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  UNIVERSITY,   TOKIO,  JAPAN. 
1  Vol.,  8vo,  with  numerous  maps  and  illustrations,  new  edition,  $3.50. 


"The  work  bears  witness  to  a  vast  amount  of  well-directed  labor;  and  while  it  is  clothed  with  a 
rare  charm  for  the  general  reader,  whose  curiosity  regarding  a  long-isolated  nation  will  for  the  first 
time  be  satisfied,  it  is  also  sure  "f  a  respectful  and  grateful  reception  from  the  st^-ent  of  history,  eth- 
nology, and  philology.  The  discussion,  indeed,  of  the  Corean  language  in  an  appendix  is  the  first 
essay  on  the  subject  which  has  seemed  to  us  at  once  explicit,  intelligible,  and  trustworthy." 

— New  York  Sun. 

EAST   OF   THE   JORDAN. 

A  Record  of  Travel  and  Observation  in  the  Countries  of  Moab,   Gilead,  and  Bashan, 

during  the  years  1875-1877. 

By  SELAH   MERRILL,  A rchceologist  of  the  American  Palestine  Exploration  Society. 

With  illustrations  and  a  map.     1  Vol.,  8vo,  new  edition,  $3.00. 


No  other  American  is  so  much  at  home  in  the  East  Jordan  country  as  Mr.  Merrill,  and  there  does 
r.ot  exist  in  any  other  language  so  much  fresh  and  valuable  information  respecting  it.  The  illustra- 
tions which  embellish  the  book  are  fresh  and  original,  and  the  style  of  the  narrative  is  graphic  and 
entertaining.  The  work  is  exceedingly  interesting  as  an  account  of  exploration  in  this  field,  rich  in 
historic  associations. 


BRAZIL:  THE  AMAZONS  AND  THE  COAST. 

By    HERBERT    H.    SMITH. 

Illustrated  from  sketches  by  J.  Wells  Champney  and  others.     1  Vol.,  8uo.,  extra  cloth,  $5.00. 

"  In  this  book  Mr.  Smith,  an  American,  who  has  lived  and  travelled  for  the  greater  part  of  eight 
years  in  Brazil,  gives  so  excellent  an  account  of  that  country  that  we  cannot  regret  this  addition  to  the 
already  extensive  literature  of  the  subject.  The  book  is  a  very  successful  attempt  to  present  a  com- 
prehensive picture,  drawn  both  from  the  experience  of  the  author  and  from  that  of  previous  Brazilian 
and  foreign  writers,  of  the  present  state  of  Brazil." — London  At  adetny. 


TURKISTAN. 

Notes  of  a  Journey,  in  1873,  in  the  Russian    Province  of  Turkistan,   the  Khanates  of 

Khokan  and  Bokhara,  and  Provinces  of  Kuldaja. 

With   a   Chapter   showing  Russian   Progress  in   Central   Asia   during  the  last  ten   years. 

By    EUGENE    SCHUYLER. 
New  Edition.     With  many  illustration?.     2  Vols.,  8vo,  $5.00. 


THE  IVORY  KING. 

A  POPULAR  HISTORY  OF  THE  ELEPHANT  AND  ITS  ALLIES, 

By    CHARLES    F.    HOLDER. 

Square  8vo,   with  twenty-four  full-page  Illustrations,   S2.00. 

The  wonderfully  interesting  array  of  facts  which  Mr.  Holder  brought  together  in  his  Afar- 
tcIs  of  A  nimal  Life,  was  the  fruit  very  largely  of  his  personal  observations.  It  forms  one  of 
the  most  stimulating  and  delightful  contributions  to  the  class  of  Natural  History  books  for  the 
young  that  has  ever  been  made,  and  was  a  fitting  forerunner  to  The  Ivory  King,  which  is  devoted 
entirely  to  the  Elephant,  and  has  even  a  more  vivid  fascination  than  the  first  named  volume. 
The  summary  of  its  contents  includes  the  Natural  History  of  the  Elephant,  its  habits  and  ways 
and  its  intelligence,  the  Mammoth  Three  and  Four  Tusked  Elephants,  Hunting  and  Capturing 
Wild  Elephants,  the  Elephant  in  Captivity,  Rogue  Elephants,  the  White  Elephant,  Trained 
Elephants,  Show  Elephants,  Ivory,  War  Elephants,  etc.,  etc.  The  numerous  illustrations  are 
especially  excellent,  being  drawn  from  a  great  variety  of  sources. 

It  would  be  hard  to  name  a  book  which  would  be  a  more  welcome  and  valued  addition  to  the 
library  of  the  average  boy  or  girl  just  beginning  to  cultivate  a  love  of  reading  and  an  interest  in 
the  world  around  them. 


MARVELS  OF  ANIMAL  LIFE. 

By    CHARLES    F.    HOLDER. 
Square  8vo,   with  thirty-two  full-page  Illustrations,   S2.00. 

"  One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  recent  publications.  .  .  .  The  kind  of  book  that  ought 
to  find  it;  place  in  libraries  for  boys  and  girls  of  a  thoughtful  and  inquiring  turn  of  mind.  It 
not  only  satisfies  a  heakhful  curiosity  but  it  furnishes  a  world  of  substantial  information.''— 
Cfiristiafi    Union, 


AMONG  THE  LAW-MAKERS. 

By    EDMUND    ALTON. 

With  many  Illustrations  of  the  Government  Buildings.  Halls  of  Congress,  Etc.,  Etc. 

One  volume,  square  8vo,  S'3.50. 

The  author  of  this  book  was  for  four  years  connected  with  the  legislative  branch  of  our  Gov- 
ernment, in  the  capacity  of  a  Senatorial  page.  Although  the  book  is  addressed  to  the  younger 
generation,  there  are  not  a  few  of  their  elders  who  will  find  much  information  in  it  that  they 
may  be  glad  to  gain,  and  both  young  and  old  cannot  but  be  delighted  with  Mr.  Alton's  reminis- 
cences of  one  of  the  most  exciting  periods  of  our  history,  that  immediately  following  the  civil  war. 


THE  MAKING  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

15SO-1643. 

By    SAMUEL    ADAMS    DRAKE. 
With  241  Illustrations  and  Maps.  One  Volume.    12mo.  Price,    SI. 50. 


from:    the    preface. 

This  little  book  is  intended  to  meet,  so  far  as  it  may,  the  want  of  brief,  compact,  and  handy 
manuals  of  the  beginnings  of  our  country. 

It  aims  to  occupy  a  place  between  the  larger  and  the  lesser  histories. — to  condense  or  elimi- 
nate from  the  exhaustive  narrative  as  to  give  it  greater  vitality,  or  so  extend  and  elucidate  what 
the  school  history  too  often  leaves  obscure  for  want  of  space  as  to  supply  the  deficiency.  So, 
when  teachers  have  a  particular  topic  before  them  it  is  intended  that  a  chapter  on  the  same  sub- 
ject  be  read,  to  fill  out  the  bare  outlines  of  the  common  school  text-book. 


AN  AMERICAN  FOUR-IN-HAND  IN  BRITAIN. 

By  ANDREW  CARNEGIE. 

1  Vol.,   small   quarto,    S»2.00.       Cheap   Edition,  yellow  paper  cover,  25  cents. 


The  book  gives  a  lively  account  of  the  author's  famous  drive  with  a  party  of  friends  on  a  coach 
through  England  and  Scotland.  The  trip  was  originally  suggested  by  Mr.  Black's  novel,  "The 
Strange  Adventures  of  a  Phaeton,"  and  extended  from  Brighton  to  Inverness,  a  distance  of  more 
than  eight  hundred  miles,  which  was  accomplished  in  about  seven  weeks.  Mr.  Carnegie  is  an  enter- 
taining and  agreeable  writer,  and  this  record  of  his  novel  journey  makes  a  most  delightful  and  read- 
able book. 

Uniform  with  the  small  quarto  edition  of  AN   AMERICAN  FOUR-IN-HAND  IN  BRITAIN. 


ROUND    THE    WORLD 

By  ANDREW   CARNEGIE. 

1  Vol.,   small  quarto,  JS2.50. 


Mr.  Carnegie's  Four-in-Hand  in  Britain  was  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  popular  books  of 
the  season.  His  new  volume,  as  it  has  a  wider  scope,  has  also  a  more  comprehensive  interest  and 
value.  Buoyant,  keen,  joyous,  and  practical,  the  author  sets  down  without  reserve  or  affectation,  just 
the  impressions  that  made  themselves  most  vividly  felt  at  the  moment,  and  the  rapid  flow  of  the 
narrative  fairly  enchains  the  reader's  attention. 

Sailing  from  San  Francisco  to  Japan  on  his  course  round  the  world,  the  larger  part  of  Mr.  Car- 
negie's book  is  taken  up  with  the  description  of  Eastern  lands,  and  it  forms  a  real  addition  to  the 
literature  of  travel. 


TRIUMPHANT    DEMOCRACY ; 

OR,  FIFTY  YEARS'  MARCH  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 
By    ANDREW    CARNEGIE. 


1  Vol.,  8vo.     Price,  S2.00. 


This  work  will  open  the  eyes  of  the  masses  to  the  wonderful  advancement — physical,  moral,  po- 
litical, and  intellectual — of  the  United  States  during  the  last  half  century,  an  advancement  either  little 
understood  or  willfully  misrepresented  in  Europe.  Though  various  causes  have  contributed  to  this 
unexampled  rate  of  progress,  the  principal  one,  in  Mr.  Carnegie's  opinion,  is  the  fundamental  fact  of 
the  equality  of  the  citizen  in  the  Republic. 


CHRONICLE    OF    THE    COACH 

CHARING    CROSS    TO    ILFRACOMBE. 
By     JOHN     DENISON     C  H  A  M  P  L  I  N  ,     Jr. 

Illustrated  by  Edward  L.   Chichester.     1  vol.,   12mo.     New  Edition,  !$1.25. 


"The  book  takes  us  into  the  old  and  out-of-the-way  places  of  which  we  have  heard  less,  and  in 
which  we  are  more  interested  because  of  their  old-lime  and  eventful  histories,  their  quaint  buildings, 
customs,  and  people,  their  charming  scenery  ar.d  their  poetic  legends.  The  company  is  merry,  wise, 
and  observant ;  harmless  and  witty  jest  and  repartee  abound,  and  all  these  find  in  Mr.  Champlin  a 
lively  and  intelligent  chronicler." — Chicago  Interior. 


JOHN   BULL   AND   HIS   ISLAND. 

One  Volume,   12mo,  paper,  50  cents;   cloth,  $1 .00. 

This  witty  and  incisive  book  on  England,  by  an  anonymous  French  author,  is  the  sensa- 
tion of  the  moment  in  Paris,  London,  and  A  merica.  The  British  press  and  public  have  been 
compelled  to  laugh  over  the  admirable  cleverness  of  the  study,  even  while  they  protested ; 
and  the  fairer  critics  have  recognized  the  striking  truth  and  merit  of  the  more  serious  criti- 
cism which  forms  no  insignificant  tart  of  it. 


THE  RUSSIANS  AT  THE  GATES  OF  HERAT. 

By    CHARLES    BIARVIN, 

Principal  authority  of  the  English  press  on  the  Central  Asia  Dispute. 

Illustrated  with  portraits  and  maps.    Paper,  50  cts.;  cloth,  $1 .00. 


Army  Life  in  Russia. 

By    K.    V.    GREENE, 

Lieutenant  of  Engineers,  United  States  Army. 

Late  Millitary  Attache  to  the   U.  S.  Legation  in  St.  Petersburg,  a?id  author  of 
"The  Russian  Army  and  its  Campaigns  in  Turkey  in  1877-78." 

One    Volume,    12mo.    New    Edition,    $1.25. 

"The  sketches  are  excellently  well  done,  graphic,  evidently  not  exaggerated,  and  very  read- 
able. It  is  a  book  that  will  be  read  with  pleasure,  and  one  that  contains  a  great  deal  of  infor- 
mation."— Hartford  Courant. 

"This  volume  is  in  every  way  an  admirable  picture  of  army  life  in  Russia.  It  is  clear,  con- 
cise, discriminating,  and  often  very  picturesque.  The  author,  besides  possessing  an  excellent 
style,  is  extremely  modest,  and  there  are  very  few  books  of  travel  in  which  the  first  person  is 
kept  so  absolutely  in  the  background." — International  Review. 


THE   SNAKE    DANCE 

OF    THE 

MOQUIS  OF  ARIZONA. 

Being  a  Narrative  of  a  Journey  from    Santa    Fe,  New   Mexico,  to  the   villages   of  the  Moqui 

Indians  of  Arizona,  with  a  Description  of  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  this  Peculiar  People. 

By  John  G.  Boukke,  Captain  Third  U.  S.  Cavalry.      One  volume,  crown  8vo,  with  more 

than  thirty  plates,  many  of  them  beautifully  colored.     §5.00. 

While  Captain  Bourke's  narrative  presents  an  extraordinarily  interesting  narration  of  adven- 
ture, its  importance  should  be  emphasized  as  an  original  contribution  to  the  literature  bearing 
upon  the  manners,  customs,  and  religions  of  a  peculiar  and  historic  people,  who  have  lived  in 
Mexico  and  Arizona  since  the  Spaniards  first  entered  this  portion  of  the  country,  in  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  Captain  Bourke  was  the  first  white  man  to  witness  many  of  the  curious 
and  picturesque  customs  of  the  Moqui  Indians,  particularly  the  famous  Snake  Dance. 

"The  work  forms  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  study  of  native  American  ethnology,  while 
its  vivid  descriptions  of  weird  scenes,  stirring  incidents  of  travel,  and  characteristic  anecdotes, 
culminating  with  the  accounts  of  the  tablet  and  snake  dances,  generally  written  in  a  plain  un- 
affected style,  make  it  very  agreeable  reading." — The  London  Academy. 

BY    THE    SAME    AUTHOR. 

AN    APACHE    CAMPAIGN 

IN  THE  SIERRA  MADRE. 
One  Volume,  12mo,  paper,  50  cents /  cloth,  $1.00. 


HISTORY  oft"  SECOND  ARMY  CORPS 

IN  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC. 

By  FRANCIS  A.  WALKER, 

Breuet  Brig. -Gen.  U.    S.   Vols.;    Asst.    Adj. -Gen.    of  the  Corps,  Oct.  9,   7862— Jan.    72.   7865. 
WITH  THIRTY-ONE  PORTRAITS  AND  THIRTY  MAPS. 


1    Vol.,   8vo,   750   pages,   $4.00. 


General  Walker  served  through  the  war  with  the  famous  Second  Army  Corps,  and  writes,  there- 
fore, from  personal  knowledge  ;  but,  aside  from  this  qualification,  he  is  to  an  unusual  degree  fitted 
for  the  task  of  preparing  this  historical  and  personal  account  of  the  Corps  by  his  gift  for  vivid  and 
powerful  writing. 

The  Second  Army  Corps  was  one  of  the  five  original  corps  organized  by  President  Lincoln.  It 
remained  in  service  during  the  entire  war,  captured  forty-four  Confederate  flags  before  it  had  lost  a 
color  of  its  own  ;  numbered  among  its  commanders,  Sumner,  Couch,  Warren,  Hancock,  and  Humph- 
ries, and  among  its  Generals  of  Division,  Sedgwick,  Howard,  Miles,  Webb,  Gibbon,  French,  Iiarlow, 
and  Rirney  :  made  the  greatest  assault  at  Marye's  Heights  ;  bore  the  brunt  of  Longstreet's  charge  at 
Gettysburg  ;  made  a  noble  record  at  Spottsylvania  ;  fought  the  last  infantry  battle  of  the  war  against 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  and  left  nearly  40,000  men  on  the  various  fields  of  Virginia,  Maryland, 
and  Pennsylvania. 

The  history  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,  by  virtue  ot  its  extraordinary  activity  and  achievements, 
is  really  the  history  of  the  war  in  the  East,  and  the  exceptional  value  of  General  Walker's  work  is 
self-evident 


FIFTY  YEARS'  OBSERVATION  OF  MEN  AND  EVENTS, 

CIVIL   AND    MILITARY. 

By   E.    D.    KEYES, 

Brevet  Brig. -Gen.  U.   S.   A.,   and  late  Major-Gen.  U.   S.  V. 


One   Volume,    1  2mo,    $1.50. 


"There  is  something  fascinating  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  book  like  this,  containing  the  informal 
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among  the  battles  and  are  familiar  with  the  scenes  described." — Brooklyn  Union. 


INSTRUCTIONS   IN 

RIFLE    AND    CARBINE    FIRING 

FOR    THE     UNITED     STATES    ARMY. 

By    CAPT.    STANHOPE    E.     BLUNT, 

Of  the  Ordnance  Dep't,   U.  S.  A. 

Prepared    by    command   of   Brigadier-General  S.  V.   Bene"t,  Chief  of  Ordnance,   U.  S. 
Army,  and  published  by  authority. 


With  many  illustrations-     Leather,  with  clasp,  net,  $2.00. 


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to  all  interested  in  maritime  matters.'" — C.  R.  P.    Rodgers,   Rear-Admiral. 


THE  SAILOR'S   HANDY  BOOK 

YACHTS  XI  AX'S     MANUAL. 

ByE.  F.  QUALTROUGH,  Master  U.  S.  Navy. 
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This  want  Lieutenant  Qualtrough,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  has  now  filled  by  a  book 
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BY   THE   SAME    AUTHOR. 

THE   BOAT   SAILER'S  MANUAL. 

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and  illustrations.      J'rice.    $'J.OO,  tut. 


THE    AMERICA'S    CUP. 

HOW    IT   WAS    WON    BY   THE    YACHT   AMERICA    IN    1  S5  1  ,   AND 

HOW    IT    HAS    BEEN    SINCE    DEFENDED. 

By  Capt.  ROLAND  F.  COFFIN, 

Author  of  "Sailors'  Yarns,"  "Archibald  the  Cat,"  "How  Old  Wiggins  Wore  Ship,"  Etc.,  Etc. 

1  vol.,  12mo.     With  Illustrations.     Rapcr,  50c.     Cloth,  $1.00. 

A  history  of  all  the  races  since  1851  for  the  possession  of  the  trophy,  the  emblem  of  the 
yachting  supremacy  of  the  world — commonly  called  the  Queen's  Cup — with  an  account  of  the 
English  yachts  Genesta  and  Galatea,  entered  for  the  races  to  be  sailed  in  September,  1885,  for 
the  possession  of  this  most  coveted  prize.  Also  descriptions  of  the  yachts  Priscilla  and  Puritan. 
There  are  twelve  full-page  illustrations  from  drawings  by  Frederick  S.  Cozzens,  an  engraving  of 
the  cup,  and  a  reproduction  of  John  Leech's  cartoon  published  in  London  Punch  after  the 
remarkable  victory  of  the  America  in  1851. 


THE  MOST  ATTRACTIVE  WORK  OX  YACHTING  EVER  IssVEIi. 

AMERICAN  YACHTS. 

Plates  by  FREDERICK  S.  COZZENS.  Text  by  J.  D.  J.  KELLEY,  Lieut.  U.  S.   N. 

LIST    OF  SU3JECTS: 

I.  The  Early  Racers.  XV.   Lying-To  off  George's  Banks. 

II.   Sandy  Hook  to  the  Needles — 1866.  XVI.  A    Stern    Chase   and  a    Long    One  — 

III.  An  Old  Rendezvous — New  London.  1876. 

IV.  Off  Brenton's  Reef.  XVII.   A  Breezy  Day  Outside. 

XVIII.  Crossing  the  Line — New  York  Ba   . 

XIX.  Minot's  Ledge  Light. 

XX.  For    the    America's    Cup — 188 1 — The 

S:art. 

XXI.  A  Misty  Morning — Drifting. 

XXIt.  In  Down  East  Waters— Boston  Bay. 

XXIII.  Before  the  Wind— Newport,  1883. 

XXIV.  Under  the  Palisades. 
XXV.  Ice  Boating  on  the  Hudson. 

XXVI.   Signal  Chart. 


V.   Rounding  the  Light  Ship. 
VI.  The  Finish  off  Staten  Island-1870. 
VII.  In  the  Narrows — A  Black  Squali. 
VIII.  Running  Out— New  Bedford. 

IX.   Off  Soundings — A  Smoky  Sou'wester 
X.   Robbins  Reef — Sunset. 
XI.  Around  the  Cape — Marblehead. 
XII.  Over  the  Cape  May  Course — 1873. 

XIII.  By  Sou'west  Spit. 

XIV.  Moonlight  on  Nantucket  Shoals. 
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THE    FIRST    REALLY    PRACTICAL    BOY'S    BOOK. 


THE  AMERICAN  BOY'S   HANDY   BOOK; 

OR,  WHAT   TO   DO  AND   HOW   TO   DO   IT. 

By  DANIEL  C.  BEARD. 
Fully  illustrated  by  the  author.     One  volume,  3vo.     New  Edition,  $2.00 

The  popular  Boy's  Own  Book  of  a  generation  ago  is  now,  for  Americans  at  least,  completely 
obsolete.  The  imitations  and  elaborations  of  it  have  all  the  complicated  and  unpractical  features 
of  the  original,  without  its  merits.  Most  of  them  treat  the  reader  either  as  a  child  or  as  a  person 
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book  is  the  first  to  tell  the  active,  inventive,  and  practical  American  boy  the  things  he  really 
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can  do  them,  with  the  helps  and  ingenious  contrivances  which  every  boy  can  either  procure 
or  make.  The  author  divides  the  book  among  the  sports  of  the  four  seasons  ;  and  he  has  made 
an  almost  exhaustive  collection  of  the  cleverest  modern  devices — besides  himself  inventing  an 
immense  number  of  capital  and  practical  ideas — in 

I  Kite-Making, 
SPRING         <   Fishing, 
8»rai«U.        <    Aquarium-Making, 


SUMMEB. 


Etc. 

Boat-Building, 
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Trapping, 
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Home-Made  Hunting  Appar- 
atus, Etc. 


AUTUMN. 


Ice-Boating, 
Snow-Ball  Warfare, 
Winter  Fishing, 
Sled-Building. 
Puppet-Shows, 
Etc. 


WI1ITEE. 


THE  BOY'S 
LIBRARY  OF  PLUCK  AND  ACTION. 


Four  volumes,  121110,    in  a  box,  illustrated,  $5.00 
Sold  separately,  per  volume,       .         .         .      1.50 

A  JOLLY  FELLOWSHIP. 

BY  FRANK  R.  STOCKTON. 


HANS  BRINKER; 

Or,    THE  SILVER  SKATES. 

A    STORY    OF    LIFE     IN     HOLLAND. 

BY  MRS.  MARY  MAPES  DODGE. 


THE 


BOY    EMIGRANTS 

BY  NOAH  BROOKS. 


PHAETON    ROGERS. 

BY  ROSSITER  JOHNSON. 

In  the  "Boy's  Library  of  Flue k  and  Ac- 
tion,'" the  design  was  to  bring  together  the 
representative  and  most  popular  books  of  four 
of  the  best  known  writers  for  young  people. 

The  volumes  are  beautifully  illustrated  and 
uniformly  bound  in  a  most  attractive  f  nn. 


THE  BOY'S 

Library  of  Legend  ani  Chivalry. 

Edited  by  SIDNEY  LANIER. 

Richly  Illustrated  by  Frederick:,  Eensell,  and  Kappes 

Four  vols.,  cloth,  uniform  binding,  per  set,  §7.00 
Sold  separately,  per  volume,        .         .         .     2.00 

THE  BOY'S  KIXG  ARTHl  R. 

Being  Sir  Thomas  Mallory's  History  of  King 
Arthur  and  his  Knights  of  the  Bound  Table. 

THE  BOY'S  FROISSART. 

Being  Sir  John  Froissart's  Chronicles  of  Ad- 
venture, Battle,  and  Custom  in  England, 
France,  Spain,  Etc. 


THE  BOYS  PERCY. 


THE    KMGHTLY    LEGENDS    OF    WALES; 
OR,  THE  BOY'S  MABINOGIOX. 

"Amid  all  the  strange  and  fanciful  scenery  of 
these  stories,  character  and  the  ideals  of  charac- 
ter remain  at  the  simplest  and  purest.  The 
romantic  history  transpires  in  the  healthy  atmos- 
phere of  the  open  air  on  the  green  earth  beneath 
the  open  sky.  .  .  .  The  figures  of  Right. 
Truth,  Justice,  Honor,  Purity,  Courage,  Rever- 
ence for  Law,  arealways  in  the  background;  and 
the  grand  passion  inspired  by  the  book  is  for 
strength  to  do  well  and  nobly  in  the  world." — 
The  Independent. 


THE  MERRY  ADVENTURES  OF  ROBIN  HOOD, 

OF  GREAT  RENOWN  IN  NOTTINGHAMSHIRE.  WRITTEN  AND  ILLUSTRATED 
BY  HOWARD  PYLE.  1  vol.,  4to.  $3.00. 
This  superb  book  is  unquestionably  the  most  original  and  elaborate  ever  produced  by  any 
American  artist.  Mr.  Pyle  has  told  with  pencil  and  pen  the  complete  and  consecutive  story  of 
Robin  Hood  and  his  merry  men  in  their  haunts  in  Sherwood  Forest,  gathered  from  the  old 
ballads  and  legends. 


A    NEW    EDITION    OF    THE    WONDER    LIBRARY. 


THE    ILLUSTRATED 

Library  of  Wonders. 


THE  WONDERS  OF  MAN  AND  NATURE, 

IN   EIGHT   VOLUMES. 


THE  WONDERS  OF  SCIENCE, 

IN   EIGHT    VOLUMES. 


THE  WONDERS  OF  ART  AND  ARCHEOLOGY, 

IN   EIGHT   VOLUMES. 


Sold  Separately  at  $1  per  Volume.  Each  Set,  8  Volumes  in  a  Box,  $8, 

Twenty-four   volumes,   containing  over  a    Thousand  Illustrations. 
Each   volume,    12mo,   Complete  in   Itself. 

Messrs.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons  take  pleasure  in  announcing  that  they  have 
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jects treated  are  of  universal  interest,  and  they  are  discussed  in  a  popular  and 
interesting  manner. 

The  illustrations  are  very  numerous,  and  leave  nothing  to  be  desired  on  the  score 
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THE  WONDERS  OF  MAN       THE  WONDERS  OF  ART  AND 
AND  NATURE.  ARCHAEOLOGY. 

Intelligence  of  Animals.  Egypt  3,300  Years  Ago. 

Mountain    Adventures.  The  Wonders  of  Sculpture. 

Bodily  Strength  and  Skill.  Wonders  of  Glass-Making. 

Wonderful   Escapes.  Wonders  of  European  Art. 

Thunder  and   Lightning.  Pompeii  and  the  Pompeians. 

Adventures     on     the      Great     Hunting  Wonders  of  Architecture. 

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Wonders  of  Vegetation,  1.50 

Diamonds  and  Precious  Stones,  1.50 


[From  the    CINCINNATI    COMMERCIAL.] 
"  Scrib tier's    '  Campaigns   of  the  Civil   War'  are  probably  the  ablest  and  most  striking 
account  of  the  late  war  that  has  yet  been  "written.     Choosing  the  flower  of  military  authors, 
the  publishers  have  assigned  to  each   the   task  of  writing  the  history  of  the  events  he  knew 
most  about.      Thus,  both  accuracy  and  a  life-like  freshness  have  been  secured." 


The  Campaigns  of  the  Civil  War. 

13    VOLUMES,    CLOTH.      WITH    MAPS    AND    PLANS. 
Price,  per  volume,  $1.00  :  per  Set,  $12.oO. 

A  series  of  volumes,  contributed  by  a  number  of  leading  actors  in  and 
students  of  the  great  conflict  of  i86i-'65,  with  a  view  to  bringing  together, 
for  the  first  time,  a  full  and  authoritative  military  history  of  the  suppression 
of  the  Rebellion. 

The  volumes  are  duodecimos  of  about  250  pages  each,  illustrated  by 
maps  and  plans  prepared  under  the  direction  of  the  authors. 

I. — The  Outbreak  of  Rebellion.     By  John  G.  Nicolay. 

A  preliminary  volume,  describing  the  opening  of  the  war,  and  covering  the  period  from  the 
election  of  Lincoln  to  the  end  of  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
II From  Fort  Henry  to  Corinth.     By  the  Hon.  M.  F.  Force. 

The  narrative  of  events  in  the  West  from  the  Summer  of  1861  to  May,   1862  ;  covering  the 
capture  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  the  Battle  of  Shiloh,  etc.,  etc. 
III. — The  Peninsula.     By  Alexander  S.  Webb,  LL.D. 

The  history  of  McClellan's  Peninsula  Campaign,  from  his  appointment  to  the  end  of  the 
Seven  Days'  Fight. 
TV. — The  Army  under  Pope.     By  John  C.  Ropes. 

From  the  appointment  of  Pope   to  command  the   Army  of  Virginia,  to  the  appointment  of 
McClellan  to  the  general  command  in  September,  1862. 
V. — The  Antietam  and  Fredericksburg.     By  Gen.   Francis  Winthrop  Palfrey. 

From  the  appointment  of  McClellan  to  the  general  command,  September,   1862,  to  the  end 
of  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg. 
VI. — Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg.     By  Gen.  Abner  Doubleday. 

From  the  appointment  of  Hooker,  through  the  campaigns  of  Chancellorsville  and  Gettys- 
burg,  to  the  retreat  of  Lee  after  the  latter  battle. 
VII. — The  Army  of  the  Cumberland.     By  Gen.  Henry  M.  Cist. 

From  the  formation  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  to  the  end  of  the  battles  at  Chatta- 
nooga, November,  1863. 
VIII. — The  Mississippi.     By  Lieut.  Francis  Vinton  Greene. 

An  account  of  the  operations— especially  at  Vicksburgand  Port  Hudson — by  which  the  Miss- 
issippi River  and  its  shores  were  restored  to  the  control  of  the  Union. 
IX.— Atlanta.     By  the  Hon.  Jacob  D.  Cox. 

From  Sherman's  first  advance  into  Georgia  in  May,   1864,  to  the  beginning  of  the  March  to 
the  Sea. 
X. — The  March  to  the  Sea — Franklin  and  Nashville.     By  the  Hon.   Jacob  D.  Cox. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  March  to  the   Sea  to  the  surrender  of  Johnston — including  also 
the  operations  of  Thomas  in  Tennessee. 
XI. — The   Shenandoah  Valley  in   1864.     The   Campaign  of  Sheridan.     By  George 

E.  Pond. 
XII. — The  Virginia  Campaign  of  '64  and  '65.     The  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  the 

Army  of  the  James.     By  Andrew  A.  Humphreys. 
XHI. — Statistical  Record  of  the  Armies  of  the  United  States.  By  Frederick  Phisterer. 

This  Record  includes  the  figures  of  the  quotas  and  men  actually  furnished  by  all  States  ;  a 
list  of  all  organizations  mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service  ;  the  strength  of  the  army  at  various 
periods  ;  its  organization  in  armies,  corps,  etc.;  the  divisions  of  the  country  into  departments, 
etc.;  chronological  list  of  all  engagements,  with  the  losses  in  each  ;  tabulated  statements  of  all 
losses  in  the  war,  with  the  causes  of  death,  etc.;  full  lists  of  all  general  officers,  and  an  immense 
amount  of  other  valuable  statistical  matter  relating  to  the  War. 


THE  NAVY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

In  three  volumes,  12mo,  uniform  with  "  The  Campaigns  of  the  Civil  War. 
With  Maps  and  Plans. 
Price,  per  volume,        .        .        .        $l.OO. 
I. — The  Blockade  and  the  Cruisers.     By  Professor  J.  Russell  Soley,  U.  S.  Navy. 
II. — The  Atlantic  Coast. — By  Rear-Admiral  Daniel  Ammen,  U.  S.  Navy. 
HI.— The  Gulf  and  Inland  Waters.     By  Commander  A.  T.  Mahak,  U.  S.  Navy. 


Duo  Ygar$  in  im  Judglg. 

The  Experiences  of  a  Hunter  and  Naturalist  in  India, 
Ceylon,  the  Malay  Peninsula,   and  Borneo. 

By  WILLIAM   T.  HORNADAY, 

Chief  Taxidermist  U.  S.  National  Museum. 


One  vol.,  8vo,  pp.  xxii.  512,  two  folding  maps  and  51  illustrations.    Price,  $3.00. 


THE  EXPEDITION  AND  ITS  OBJECT. 

THE  author  relates  the  experiences  of  a  hunter  and  naturalist  in  India, 
Ceylon,  the  Malay  Peninsula,  and  Borneo  ;  and  certainly  no  richer 
hunting-ground  could  be  found  anywhere  else  in  the  world.  Mr. 
Hornaday  is  chief  taxidermist  in  the  United  States  National  Museum. 
He  was  formerly  connected  with  Professor  Ward's  Natural  Science 
Museum  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  and  his  expedition  to  the  East  was  in  the 
interests  of  that  establishment.  While  his  book  is  in  some  respects  like 
such  works  as  those  which  Du  Chaillu  and  Sir  Samuel  W.  Baker  have 
written  to  delight  and  interest  a  multitude  of  readers,  he  has  imparted  a 
vast  amount  of  information,  a  large  part  of  which  is  new  and  of  the  great- 
est moment  to  the  naturalist. 

Mr.  Hornaday  started  from  New  York  in  1876.  From  England  he 
went  finally  south  to  India,  arriving  at  Bombay;  he  went  across  country 
to  Benares ;  from  here  he  made  an  expedition  to  the  north  to  Cawnpore 
and  Agra.  From  Benares  he  worked  his  way  to  Calcutta,  journeyed  down 
the  Bay  of  Bengal  to  Madras  ;  southward  again,  he  made  a  complete  cir- 
cuit of  Ceylon,  than  to  the  Malay  Peninsula,  and  finally  to  Borneo,  where 
his  adventures  with  the  orangutan  were  met,  ending  his  two  years  of  fruit- 
ful and  entirely  successful  search.  The  illustrations  are  many,  and  most 
of  them  are  taken  from  Mr.  Hornaday's  own  sketches.  Though  it  may 
seem  to  be  stating  much,  it  certainly  may  be  truly  said  that  a  more  inter- 
esting book  of  travel  and  adventures  was  never  published. 


"Decidedly  the  most  interesting  and  instructive  book  of  travel  and  adventure  in 
the  East  Indies  it  has  ever  been  our  good  fortune  to  read." — Baltimore  News. 

"  An  entertaining  volume.  .  .  .  The  author  has  proved  his  ability  to  write  a 
good  book  of  travel." — Morning  Post  (London). 

"  To  the  naturalist,  Mr.  Hornaday's  book  cannot  but  be  as  deeply  interesting  as 
to  the  sportsman  and  traveller.  ...  It  deserved  to  be  distinguished  from  among 
the  mass  of  books  of  sporting  adventure." — Melbourne  Argus. 

"  One  of  the  most  entertaining  and  instructive  books  of  its  kind  that  has  been 
published." — San  Francisco  Post. 


A    CHARMING    BOOK    FOR   WHEELMEN. 

A  CANTERBURY  PILGRIMAGE. 

Ridden,  Written,   and  Illustrated  by  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Robins  Pennei.l. 
One  volume,  square  Svo.      Paper,  50  cents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Penneli.'s  enthusiasm  for  the  wheel  led  them  to  undertake  this  journey  on  a 
tricycle  through  the  smooth,  hard  roads  of  old  England,  and  to  follow  the  path  trod  so  many 
years  by  the  Canterbury  pilgrims.  It  is  an  exceedingly  graceful  and  spirited  narrative,  and  puts 
a  feeling  of  breeziness  in  the  air  of  these  hot  months.  Everything  prospered  the  tourists,  and 
three  more  enjoyable  days  than  those  consumed  in  the  ride  from  London  to  Canterbury  Cathedral 
cannot  easily  be  conceived.  The  illustrations  with  which  the  artist-authors  covered  their  pages 
are  surpassingly  good.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pennell's  little  book  will,  of  course,  particularly  interest 
those  who  may  be  devoted  to  the  "machine." 

L  A.  WIN"      T  E  3ST  rST  I  S 

AS    A    GAME    OF    SKILL. 
With  the  Latest  Jtevised  Rules,  as  played  by  the  best  Clubs. 

By  Lieut.  S.  C.  F.  Peile,  B.  S.  C.     Edited  by  Richard  D.  Sears.     One  volume, 
121110,  flexible  cloth.      75  cents. 


Editor. 


CON  TEN  TS. 

Rules  That  are  Often  Disregarded. 
When  to  take  a  Bisque, 
A  Chapter  for  Ladies. 
Laws  of  Lawn  Tennis. 
Table  Showing  Method   of  Calculating 
Differential  Odds. 


Preface  by  the  Americ 

Hints  to  Beginners. 

Common  Faults. 

Courts,  Nets  and  Appurtenances. 

General  Principles  and  Club  Rules. 

The  Single  Game. 

The  Double  Game. 

There  has  hitherto  been  no  book  treating  lawn  tennis  as  a  game  of  skill,  showing  its  possi- 
bilities and  giving  practical  advice  for  the  cultivation  of  scientific  play.  This  Mr.  Peile  has  done, 
and  his  little  volume  appeals  directly  to  that  large  class  of  tennis  players  who  are  anxious  to 
become  proficient  in  the  sport.  Mr.  R.  D.  Sears,  who  holds  the  championship  of  America,  has 
added  much  that  will  interest  American  readers ;  his  notes  are  always  practical,  and  cannot  fail 
to  be  of  service  even  to  experts  in  the  game. 

The  London  Saturday  Review,  in  a  long  review  of  the  book,  says : 

"Mr.  Peile  has  more  than  usual  insight  into  the  game  of  lawn  tennis,  and  has  some  valuable 
teachings  to  bestow.  His  little  book  tells  players  what  they  ought  to  do  and  what  they  ought 
not  to  do.  .  .  .  The  book  is,  in  fact,  a  compendium  of  the  game  of  lawn  tennis,  and  should 
be  in  every  player's  hands/' 

The  book  has  had  a  great  run  in  England,  and  in  this  American  edition,  with  notes  by  Mr. 
Sears,  it  ought  to  become  equally  popular. 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent,  f>ost-j>aid,  by  the  publishers, 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS.   743  &  745  Broadway,   New  York. 


[Published  May 


elaboration.] 


TEN  THOUSAND  MILES  ON  A  BICYCLE. 

By  Karl  Kron,  author  of  ' '  Four  Years  at  Yale,  by  a  Graduate  of  '69. "   Cloth  bound, 

gilt  top,  heliotype  frontispiece,  41  chapters,  880  pages,  657,000  words, 

elaborate  indexes,  no  advertisements. 

This  is  a  guide-book  of  American  roads,  and  its  ''index  of  places  "gives  8,418  references  to 
3,482  towns.  Its  list  of  3,300  advance  subscribers  (arranged  both  alphabetically  and  geographi- 
cally, and  representing  every  State  in  the  Union )  forms  a  unique  directory  of  American  wheelmen. 

Mailed  on  receipt  of  money-order  for  two  dollars  by  the  publisher,  Karl  Kron,  at  the  Univer- 
sity Building,  Washington  Square,  Nexu  York  City,  D.  Analytical  contents-table,  descriptive 
circulars,  and  specimen  pages  sent  free. 


"  T/ie  Prince  of  Story-Tellers." — London  Times. 

THE  WORKS  OF  JULES  VERNE. 

THE  COMPLETE  AND  AUTHORIZED  EDITIONS. 

The  following  works  of  M.  JULES  VERNE  arc  published  by  Messrs.  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons,  by  arrangement  with  Messrs.  Sampson  Low  &  Co.,  of  London,  in 
accordance  with  the  right  ceded  to  them  by  MM.  Hetzel  &  Co.,  the  publishers  of  M. 
Verne's  works  in  the  original  French  edition.  These  volumes  contain  all  the  illustrations 
of  the  French  edition,  and  are  the  only  complete  and  authorized  books  of  M.  Jules 
Verne  published  in  this  country. 

In  a  JYeif  anil   Uniform  Edition.     9  vols.,  Hvo.     With  over  750  full-page 
Illustrations.     Price,  per  set  in  a  box,  $17.50. 

Michael  Strogoff  ;  ok,  the  Courier  of  A  Journey  to   the   Center    of   the 


the  Czar $2.00 

A  Floating  City  and  the   Blockade 

Runners 2.00 

Hector  Servadac 2.00 

Dick  Sands 2.00 


Earth $2.co 

From  the  Earth  to  the  Moon.    .     .      2.00 
The  Steam  House.     2  vols,  in  one.  2.00 

The  Giant  Raft.     2  vols,  in  one.     .      2.00 
The  Mysterious  Island.  3  vols,  in  one.  2.50 


JL'LES   VERXE'S  GREATEST   WORK. 

THE  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Three  volumes,  8vo,  extra  cloth,  with  100  full-page  engravings  in  each.    Price,  per 
volume,  ....  .......  82.50 

The  work  includes  three  divisions,  each  in  one  volume  complete  in  itself. 

I.     Famous    Travels    and    Travellers. 

II.     The    Great    Navigators. 

III.      The  Explorers  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

Each  volume  in  the  series  is  very  fully  illustrated  with  full-page  engravings  by 
French  artists  of  note  ;  and  the  volume  of  "  FAMOUS  TRAVELS  "  is  made  still  more 
interesting  by  many  fac-similes  from  the  original  prints  in  old  voyages,  atlases,  etc. 

"  Even  if  truth  were  not  stranger  than  fiction,  to  the  healthful  mind  it  ought  to  be  far  more 
fascinating.  Such  works  as  this  are  not  only  entertaining  and  informing,  but  their  whole  atmos- 
phere is  bracing.  They  are  as  much  better  than  sentimental  heart  histories  or  imaginary  per- 
sonal experiences  as  a  day  in  the  open  air  is  better  than  a  day  in  a  close  and  crowded  apartment." 
—X.   V.  Observer. 


BAYARD  TAYLOR'S  LIBRARY  OF  TRAVEL. 

Six  Volumes,  12mo.     Each  with  many  Illustrations. 

SOLD  SEPARATELY.     PER  VOLUME,  !$1.25. 

A  NEW  EDITION,  IN  ATTRACTIVE  BINDING,  OF  THIS  ENTERTAINING  SERIES  IS  NOW  ISSUED. 

Each  volume  is  complete  in  itself,  and  contains,  first,  a  brief  preliminary  sketch  of 
the  country  to  which  it  is  devoted  ;  next,  such  an  outline  of  previous  explorations  as 
may  be  necessary  to  explain  what  has  been  achieved  by  later  ones  ;  and  finally,  a  con- 
densation of  one  or  more  of  the  most  important  narratives  of  recent  travel,  accom- 
panied with  illustrations  of  the  scenery,  architecture,  and  life  of  the  races,  drawn  only 
from  the  most  authentic  sources. 
Japan  in  our  Day.  Central  Asia. 

Travels  in  Arabia.  The  Lake  Region  of  Central  Africa. 

Travels  in  South  Africa.  Siam,  the  Land  of  the  White  Elephant. 

Complete  Sets,  6  Volumes  (in  a  box),  $6.00. 


GETTY  CENTER  LIBRARY 


3  3125  00780  9292 


